KIGALI, Rwanda
Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has dismissed reports that the country’s military was involved in killings in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Kagame, who was speaking to army and police personnel at a training center in eastern Rwanda on Monday, said: “Atrocities in eastern Congo are committed by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) militia, the pro-Congo government militia, Wazalendo, and the Congolese army,” according to video footage shared on social media on Tuesday.
His remarks follow reports earlier this month by the UN Human Rights Office and Human Rights Watch linking the Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) to a massacre of civilians in eastern Congo.
“Do you remember the mercenaries and others who passed through Rwanda, who were safely escorted home? That was the RDF. If the RDF were killers, they would have killed them,” Kagame said.
“So, where is the basis for blaming RDF for atrocities in eastern Congo?”
In January, over 200 European mercenaries, who were allegedly fighting alongside the Congolese forces in battle against M23 rebels, were deported to their countries of origin through neighboring Rwanda.
The group of 280 fighters had surrendered to the UN mission (MONUSCO) compound in Congo for protection after the capture of the key town of Goma by M23.
Citing Mozambique, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan, where Rwandan troops are deployed, Kagame said Rwanda does not wage wars against other nations but, on request, supports those facing security challenges.
“We do not start wars against anyone; we only respond when a war is waged against us. That is the principle; it is the ethos of Rwanda and the RDF. Instead, we respond to the call for help from those who need security. We support them and work alongside them so that they, too, can resolve their problems,” he said.
Last week, a report by Human Rights Watch said the Rwandan military was involved in M23 rebels’ operations in which over 140 people were massacred in eastern Congo in July.
The massacres took place in at least 14 villages and farming areas near Virunga National Park, eastern Congo, between July 10 and 30, according to the report.
The UN, Kinshasa, and others accuse neighboring Rwanda of supporting M23, which Kigali denies.
