The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in Charge of Regional Cooperation, Gen (Rtd) James Kabarebe, on Thursday, February 27, met with the European Union (EU) Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region, Johan Borgstam, who is on a working visit in Kigali, and had a “productive and frank” exchange about the conflict in DR Congo where government coalition if fighting the AFC/M23 rebels. A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that they discussed the situation in eastern DR Congo, which Kabarebe said was “not comparable to the conflict in Ukraine,” and that any attempt to draw such comparisons would be politically motivated and only divert from the real issues, including the acts of the FDLR genocidal militia. ALSO READ: DR Congo crisis: Death toll from Bukavu terror attack rises to 13, says M23 “EU member states are well aware of the historical context of recurring insecurity in the eastern DR Congo, including the DR Congo government’s internal issues, the presence of over 200 armed groups, the systematic persecution of Congolese Tutsi communities, hate speech, and, most importantly, the presence of the FDLR genocidal militia, a UN and US-sanctioned group made up of perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Some bear direct responsibility and should take their fair share of the blame,” the statement read. Kabarebe pointed out to the EU envoy that Rwanda faces an existential threat from DR Congo, which should not be trivialized, noting the deployment of a coalition of the Congolese armed forces, the FDLR, SADC and Burundian forces, Wazalendo ethnic militias, and European mercenaries. ALSO READ: M23 are no terrorists, the Congolese army is – say Bukavu residents “Rwanda will continue to insist on having security guarantees including the withdrawal of all foreign forces near our borders, the resolution of the M23 question, and the neutralization of the FDLR, once and for all,” Kabarebe said, adding that the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, often cited by the EU in relation to DR Congo, must apply to Rwanda as well. “Rwanda’s sovereignty has been violated over 20 times since 2018 with well-documented reports. Defensive measures were put in place precisely to stop these attacks from occurring and will remain until these threats are fully addressed,” he noted. He also said it was regrettable that domestic EU politics and vested interests in the region influenced EU foreign policy decisions over facts. Punitive measures that infringe upon the rights of targeted countries do nothing to solve the situation, in this case it undermines African-led peace efforts, he said. “The DR Congo cannot continue to mislead the international community by calling for sanctions on Rwanda to mask its governance failures, grave human rights abuses against its own citizens, well documented and rampant corruption – including profiteering from arms deals further fuelling its appetite for war,” he said. “Rwanda encourages EU member states to participate positively in regional peace efforts and avoid mixing politics in matters of peace and security,” he added.
