Rwanda put in place defensive measures against the security threat posed by the DR Congo-backed FDLR genocidal force and its ideology, according to the country's ambassador to the United States. Mathilde Mukantabana said Rwanda had been fighting the FDLR and ant-Tutsi ideology since 1994 and would not give up on defensive mechanisms until the threat is neutralised. ALSO READ: Neutralising FDLR absolutely essential, US official tells DR Congo In a Thursday, January 22 letter to the US House Foreign Affairs Africa Subcommittee Chairman Chris Smith, Mukantabana detailed the origins of the FLDR, which was founded by remnants of perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and the Abacengezi insurgency of the late 1990s. From 1994 through 1999, the Abacengezi (who had fled to DR Congo) killed thousands of Rwandan civilians in systematic attacks targeting Tutsi genocide survivors and Hutu who had remained in the country, the envoy wrote to Smith, who chaired the hearing on the Washington Accords signed by Rwanda and DR Congo to end three decades of conflict in the region. ALSO READ: Full text of Washington Accords signed by Kagame, Tshisekedi Noting that the insurgency had been neutralised, she added that the FDLR was born out of these defeated forces who operated from eastern DR Congo, and have since spread their anti-Tutsi ideology in eastern DR Congo, targeting Congolese Tutsi communities. Today, FDLR remains operational in eastern DR Congo, integrated within Congolese military operations, and UN experts continue to document their activities,' she said. The genocidal insurgency that began in 1994 has not been defeated—it has been sustained, protected, and at times actively supported by successive Congolese governments. The scale of this threat, and its impact on Rwanda’s subsequent security doctrines, cannot be overstated. Mukantabana commended the administration of US President Donald Trump for brokering the December 4 Washington Accords, which aim to address root causes of the conflict in eastern DR Congo and offer the path to peace and regional economic development. However, she said, DR Congo and its allied FDLR and Wazalendo militias, Burundian troops and foreign mercenaries have escalated their military operations to fight the AFC/M23 rebels even after the signing. Rwanda does engage in security coordination with AFC/M23, she said, adding that this an independent Congolese group with its own grievances against Kinshasa, including killings, rape, and systematic discrimination against Congolese Tutsi populations, broken commitments under previous peace agreements, among other issues. While Rwanda and AFC/M23 share a common interest in protecting Tutsi in DRC from the FDLR and other FARDC-backed extremist militias, my country’s interest extends beyond this: to prevent another genocidal cross-border insurgency, like in the late 1990s, that could threaten Rwanda’s very existence. However, we also want to make clear that Rwanda does not seek to determine political outcomes within DRC, nor does it endorse armed movements as a substitute for inclusive governance. Our actions are narrowly focused on protecting the people of Rwanda by preventing cross-border genocidal threats. Mukantabana said that Rwanda is committed to honour its commitments under the Washington Accords and reminded that DR Congo too should do its part for the agreements to succeed. The Concept of Operations (CONOPS) included in the Washington Accords, she argued, establishes clear, measurable benchmarks. As Kinshasa fulfills its core obligations, especially the neutralization and repatriation of FDLR fighters, the dismantling of FDLR command structures embedded within FARDC operations, and the cessation of support to associated militias, she said, Rwanda commits to a phased, simultaneous, and independently verified drawdown of its security coordination measures with AFC/M23, in direct proportion to FDLR disarmament milestones, culminating in complete termination upon full CONOPS implementation. She reiterated the government's position on the defensive mechanisms put in place to counter the FDLR. The memories of genocide survivors, the graves of one million victims, and the documented history of the Abacengezi insurgency—which killed thousands more in the years following 1994—compel us to maintain defensive capabilities until credible security assurances are established, until the threat is gone, once and for all, Mukantabana said. President Trump’s leadership has created an unprecedented opportunity for lasting peace and transformative economic development. Rwanda stands ready to work with all partners—the United States, the DRC, Qatar, regional mediators, and international stakeholders—to transform this opportunity into permanent reality.
