DR Congo: Even the refugee crisis lays bare the truth

The situation in DR Congo is making headlines today. I am not here to debate M23, SAMIDRC (SADC forces), or any other players. I just want to share my testimony—because I know what it feels like to flee home, and almost every Rwandan does too. Maybe this is why we understand M23 better than any regional or international players ever could. We’ve lived this reality. We know what it means to be unwanted, to be abandoned. We know what it is to be hunted down, not for anything we’ve done, but simply for who we are—for unchangeable physical traits that marked us for death. And we also know that the root causes of the conflicts in DR Congo are deeply tied to our own history—our shared past, our shared border. In 1994, when the Genocide against the Tutsi was stopped by the RPA-Inkotanyi, many Rwandans fled—pushed and escorted by the defeated genocidal regime, now known as the FDLR. They told us that RPA would kill us all, and that exile would be short-lived because they would soon return to power. Yet, 30 years later, that “short-lived” exile continues for those who chose to remain with the FDLR—wandering aimlessly, trapped in a past they refuse to let go of. They’ve been fed and sustained by the same genocide ideology that led to Rwanda’s darkest chapter. Their children, born in exile, grow up being taught to hate a Rwanda they’ve never even seen. And so, their suffering continues, not because Rwanda rejected them, but because they rejected Rwanda. But that is a story for another day. When we arrived in Goma, in what was then Zaïre, there was no government assistance, no structured support. Our parents, already exhausted and broken, struggled to care for their children with nothing. We slept and cooked on the roads, as people around us died from Cholera, hunger, and the unbearable lack of hygiene and healthcare. Bodies lay unburied because survival was the only priority. Help came later, not from the Congolese government, but from NGOs, UNHCR, and kind-hearted Congolese who shared the little they had. Meanwhile, the Congolese police and army saw refugees as an opportunity—not to protect, but to exploit. They demanded bribes, looted anything of value, and preyed on the helpless. This would never happen in Rwanda. The Rwanda Defence Force, the Rwanda National Police, and Rwandans as a people would never even dream of committing such heartless acts—not against vulnerable people seeking refuge, nor against anyone coming to us for help. Only 30 years after the country was devastated by the Genocide against the Tutsi, Rwanda rebuilt everything from scratch—from healing physical, mental, and emotional wounds to re-establishing justice, repatriating Rwandans, regaining the will to live, strengthening unity, and finding the resilience to rebuild a nation together as one people. And yet, despite carrying this history, look at what Rwanda does today. Look at how refugees are treated. Before NGOs even arrive, the Rwandan government steps in—shelters are built, food is distributed, medical care is provided. No one is left stranded. No one is left to suffer alone. Even UN staff and international community members desperate to leave Goma in the recent past were escorted to Kigali with dignity and respect—yes, even the European mercenaries. Indeed, Rwanda ensures order, dignity, and humanity. So, I ask: How can anyone not support this tremendous progress Rwanda has made? How can anyone despise the President who made all this possible, a true Pan-Africanist, a leader who always speaks the truth, even when it is uncomfortable? Maybe it’s his courage that bothers them. Maybe it’s because he proves that Africa can stand on its own, that leadership with integrity is possible, that dignity is not negotiable. But no amount of noise can erase the truth. No propaganda can undo what Rwanda has built. We’re here. We’re strong. We’re united thanks to President Paul Kagame. Rwanda will never apologise for choosing excellence. The writer is Director General, Communication and Education, City of Kigali.

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DR Congo: Even the refugee crisis lays bare the truth