KIGALI, Rwanda
Rwanda is ready to lift its “defensive measures” related to the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo if Kinshasa fulfills its obligations under the Washington peace accord, President Paul Kagame said late Friday.
Kagame made the remarks while addressing diplomats accredited to Kigali at a dinner he hosted.
In December, Kagame and Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi signed a peace and economic agreement in Washington brokered by the US president aimed at ending violence in Congo’s restive eastern region.
Under the deal, Rwanda agreed to withdraw its troops from eastern Congo as part of what the government describes as defensive measures. Both countries also pledged to stop supporting militias and non-state armed groups, including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a Rwandan rebel group based in eastern Congo.
Kagame told diplomats the Washington accords established a ceasefire, acknowledged each side’s security concerns and outlined a roadmap for action. However, he said there had been a visible and sustained military buildup followed by operations in eastern Congo by thousands of pro-government militias and Burundian troops who launched an offensive in South Kivu even as discussions continued.
He said all parties to the deal should be held to the same standards.
He said Rwanda’s security concerns stem from the continued presence of the FDLR militia and what he described as its violent extremist ideology linked to genocide.
“Rwanda, because of its history and its geography, requires defensive borders. Our defensive measures are aimed at this objective, and nothing else,” he said.
“Rwanda is ready to lift its defensive measures in tandem with the DRC fulfilling its obligations under the Washington Accords,” Kagame added.
His remarks came after the US State Department announced plans to impose visa restrictions on several senior Rwandan officials over allegations they are fueling instability in eastern Congo.
In a statement on Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that by “continuing to support M23 and violating the Washington Accords, these individuals are driving violence and undermining the stability of the entire Great Lakes Region.”
The move follows earlier sanctions targeting the Rwanda Defense Force and four of its senior commanders over alleged operational support for the M23 rebel group.
Kagame said the conflict in eastern Congo is neither new nor difficult to understand, but has persisted for decades because of neglect and complacency, particularly among those with the power to help resolve it.
Despite the US-brokered accord and a ceasefire proposal by Angola last month, violence has flared in recent days, causing mass displacement.
Congo, the United Nations and Western countries accuse Rwanda of supporting the M23 group, an allegation Kigali denies.
