In a stirring and impassioned speech while addressing the newly sworn in parliament on August 14, 2024, Kagame castigated efforts in place to confront a conflict that has cast long shadows over the region for decades.
With reason and conviction, The Head of State dismantled the falsehoods that have long painted Rwanda as the villain in this tragic saga, asserting with unwavering clarity that the DRC’s problems must not, and cannot be blamed on Rwanda.
“Let me speak plainly about these issues of regional insecurity, the war that has gripped the eastern part of DRC, the simmering tensions that have pitted neighbors against each other, these are not new problems,” Kagame said.
“I addressed them the other day at the inauguration, and I address them again now: the true root of these conflicts lies not in Rwanda, but in the mire of interests and hypocrisies that refuse to confront the real causes,” he asserted.
Kagame peeled back the layers of distortion that have clouded the truth for so long describing a narrative that has been twisted and turned to serve the interests of a few, while the many suffer.
“It is a story that was told not to illuminate the truth, but to obscure it by shifting the blame away from those who must be held accountable,” he observed.
The president questioned those that allege Rwanda’s exploitation of the DRC’s resources through the supposed support of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebels.
“They say the FDLR returned to Rwanda only to be sent back to the DRC, to exploit their riches. But I ask, what riches? What resources are they speaking of, when the people they claim to defend live in conditions worse than my own citizens?” he wondered
He acknowledged that many of these fighters came back to Rwanda and everyone knows who they are and also addressed the concerning misrepresentation of the refugee situation in the region.
“You acknowledge that there are people who need to be resettled, yet you refuse to engage with the very refugees who are at the heart of the insecurity in this region and then you turn around and blame Rwanda? This is not just wrong, it is unacceptable!” Kagame said.
“It is clear that they have no real interest in resolving this conflict. They do not seek peace, but rather, they seek to maintain the chaos from which they benefit,”
Reflecting on discussions held with some delegates at his inauguration, Kagame questioned why Rwanda is continually asked to clean up the mess that others have created.
But let me remind you, Rwanda’s liberation and progress was not handed to us as a gift. We fought for it, we bled for it, and we earned it,” he said
He emphasized that security is a matter of survival for Rwanda and good neighborliness cannot come at the country’s expense, or anyone else’s. He said that the problems in the DRC is not Rwanda’s to solve, and this constant narrative should not be used as a scapegoat.
“We will continue to protect our people, our interests, without fear, and without hesitation,” he stressed
