Louise Mushikiwabo, the Secretary General of the International Organisation of La Francophonie, has said the root cause of the tension between Rwanda and DR Congo should be addressed in order to establish security in the region. In an interview with French television, TV5 Monde, at the Francophonie summit in Djerba Tunisia, Mushikiwabo said what was lacking is political will to address the problem. “There are groups in DR Congo just on the border with Rwanda who are threats to Rwanda’s security,” Mushikiwabo said referring to the FDLR, a militia whose members are accused of perpetrating the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The eastern region of DR Congo is home to over 120 local and foreign armed groups. “At a certain time, Rwanda and DR Congo, Uganda, Burundi and regional countries decided that it was necessary to get rid of all these armed groups. Those who don’t want to surrender and lay down arms would be disarmed.” “Why has this not been done? We should go back to the signed agreements that have been in existence for more than 10 years and put them in practice. It is only a matter of political will,” she said. Asked if her organisation would like to establish a mission on the DR Congo crisis, Mushikiwabo wondered whether it was necessary. “We have several initiatives on the crisis.” The ongoing conflict between the Congolese armed forces FARDC and M23 rebels in North Kivu has led to diplomatic tensions between DR Congo and Rwanda, with Kinshasa accusing Kigali of supporting the insurgents. Rwanda has dismissed the allegations and instead denounced the collaboration of the FARDC and the FDLR. Currently, there are two major regional mechanisms to put an end to the insecurity in eastern DR Congo and diplomatic tensions with Rwanda. These are the Angola-led Luanda roadmap and the East African Community-mediated peace process. Peace talks between the Congolese government and the multiple armed groups are due to resume next week.
