In a recent interview with the French newspaper Le Monde, Tshisekedi reiterated his campaign threats to wage war against Rwanda “at the slightest skirmish”, warning that dialogue was his “last chance”.
“I did not embark on the path of peace out of weakness, but it is the path of last chance, beyond which we will respond to skirmishes because we have the means,” he warned when he was asked if there is a plan to attack Rwanda.
Tshisekedi was referring to a mediation process spearheaded by Angolan President João Lourenço on the resolution of ongoing instability in the Eastern DRC fueled by the ongoing fight between the Congolese army and the M23 rebel group, which he accuses Rwanda of backing.
At the beginning of this week, President Kagame told Jeune Afrique that he does not take Tshisekedi’s threats to invade Rwanda lightly.
“I don’t think he has the capacity to understand what he is saying as the leader of the country. That’s a serious problem I need to prepare for and take care of… This means that one night he could wake up and do something that you never thought normal people would do,” Kagame remarked.
President Kagame went on to call out what he termed as primitive politics driving the new working relations between Congolese and Burundian politicians and their collaboration with the FDLR, a militia group that orchestrated the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda.
The 81-year-old had been nominated by the recently formed uMkhonto WeSizwe (MK) (Spear of the Nation) party in a bid to revive his political career, after he was previously jailed for contempt of court in 2021 and his fallout with the African National Congress (ANC) party.
But the electoral commission announced on Thursday that it had barred Zuma from contesting for a seat in parliament on grounds of an objection lodged against his candidacy.
“In the case of former President Zuma, yes, we did receive an objection, which has been upheld,” electoral commission President Mosotho Moepya told reporters ahead of what is touted as the most competitive vote since the end of apartheid in 1994.
“The party that has nominated him has been informed,” he added.
According to Section 47 of the South African constitution, any person sentenced to more than 12 months is prohibited from becoming an MP.
“The effect of the objections brought against the former president has been dealt with. What we have done is to exercise the provisions of the law without fear, favour and without prejudice. Anyone who has been removed from the list, we will have reasons why we have done so,” Moepya declared.
“We would have relied on the provisions of the Act or the Constitution, and we accept that we have a fundamental responsibility in exercising that role very carefully,” he added.
The commission further clarified that the MK party will remain on the ballot and contest the elections even as the outfit vowed to challenge the decision.
“The party is not disqualified. It’s just a candidate in a particular party,” he said.
“All parties and candidates that may be aggrieved about the decisions that the commission has taken today are required or have an opportunity to approach the Electoral Court. They have until 2 April – and, once the court has received those, it will consider the matters and make its decision known [by 9 April].”
{{Zuma incarcerated}}
Zuma was thrown into prison for refusing to testify before a judicial commission investigating corruption when he served as the fourth president of South Africa’s from 2009 t0 2018.
He was, however, freed from prison on medical parole after just two months into his term.
“Medical parole placement for Zuma means that he will complete the remainder of the sentence in the system of community corrections, whereby he must comply with a specific set of conditions and will be subjected to supervision until his sentence expires,” the Department of Correctional Services.
An appeal court later ordered him back to jail after finding that his release was illegal.
But on returning to jail, the former president immediately benefitted from a remission of non-violent offenders approved by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Initially, at a meeting in Luanda, Angola, on March 21, 2024, the DRC, represented by Minister of Foreign Affairs Christophe Lutundula, pledged to the United Nations Security Council in New York to present a detailed plan for the dissolution of the FDLR by April 2024.
This commitment was seen as a significant step towards addressing the longstanding security concerns in the region, particularly those voiced by Rwanda regarding the FDLR’s destabilizing activities.
The anticipation for a tangible plan was bolstered by a communique from the tripartite meeting, highlighting the DRC’s readiness to unveil a strategy complete with execution methods for dismantling the FDLR.
The French Ambassador to the UN, Nicolas de Rivière, lauded this move, recognizing it as a direct response to the security threat identified by Rwanda and a potential milestone in restoring trust between the two neighboring countries.
However, the narrative took an unexpected turn when the DRC ambassador to the UN, Zénon Mukongo Ngay, delivered remarks that starkly contrasted with the commitments made in Luanda.
Ambassador Ngay asserted that the FDLR was effectively non-existent, having been dismantled in joint operations between the DRC and Rwandan armed forces in previous years.
He described the current references to the FDLR as remnants that persist only within the realm of social media, a stark departure from the group once accused of fostering instability and spreading genocidal ideology across the region.
Adding to the complexity, Minister Lutundula’s subsequent statements in Kinshasa underscored a position of denial regarding the FDLR’s existence, further distancing the DRC’s official stance from its initial promises.
By calling for evidence of the FDLR’s activities from the UN and the African Union, the DRC government seemed to pivot from a posture of action to one of inquiry, inviting speculation about its commitment to regional security and cooperation.
This volte-face did not go unnoticed by Rwanda, whose ambassador to the UN, Rwamucyo Ernest, vehemently disputed the DRC’s assertions. Ambassador Rwamucyo underscored the ongoing threat posed by the FDLR, accusing it of not only persisting but also being bolstered by the Congolese army (FARDC).
He emphasized the dire need for a cessation of hostilities and the integration of FDLR fighters back into Rwandan society, a process previously undertaken with former combatants.
The evolving dialogue around the FDLR issue reveals a labyrinth of diplomatic maneuvers, contrasting narratives, and the complex interplay of regional politics.
The DRC’s shifting positions highlight the challenges inherent in addressing non-state armed groups, the reliability of international commitments, and the overarching quest for stability in the Great Lakes region.
As the situation unfolds, the international community remains watchful, hopeful for progress yet cautious of the hurdles that lie ahead in the path to peace and reconciliation.
President Kagame, in a statement shared on his official X account on Tuesday night, termed the 44-year-old’s victory as a true testimony to the confidence of the Senegalese people on his leadership.
“My sincere congratulations to Bassirou Diomaye Faye on his election as President of Senegal. Your victory is a true testimony to the confidence of the Senegalese people, whom I congratulate for the peaceful conduct of the elections. I look forward to further strengthening the good relations between our two nations,” Kagame wrote.
Mes sincères félicitations à Bassirou Diomaye Faye pour son élection comme Président du Sénégal. Votre victoire est un véritable témoignage de la confiance du peuple sénégalais, que je félicite pour le déroulement pacifique des élections. Je me réjouis de renforcer davantage les…
Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s main rival from the governing coalition, Amadou Ba, has already conceded defeat, setting the stage for Faye to become the youngest president in the country’s history.
“The Senegalese people have reinforced the good health of our democracy. I wish him (Faye) success at the head of our country,” Ba said.
Provisional results showed Faye with about 53.7% and Amadou Ba – from the current ruling coalition – with 36.2% based on tallies from 90% of polling stations in the first-round vote, the electoral commission said.
Faye is set to become the Africa’s youngest elected president as he commands a huge lead in the vote held on Sunday.
Faye, backed by prominent opposition figure Ousmane Sonko during the election, has pledged to make the fight against corruption and national unity his top priorities upon taking office.
“In electing me, the Senegalese people have decided on a break with a past,” Faye told journalists in his first public appearance since the election. “I promise to govern with humility and transparency.”
Sonko endorsed the former tax inspector for the presidential seat after being barred from vying.
Faye’s participated in the election barely two weeks after being released from prison in Dakar.
The President-elect had in April last year been charged with several offences, including contempt of court, after broadcasting a message critical of the judiciary in legal cases against Sonko.
Sonko joined Faye in jail in July on, among other charges, calling for insurrection.
The three envoys, Janet Mwawasi Oben, Nermine Mohamed Essam Eldin Elshaffie El Zawahry, and Julie Crowley, held a meeting with President Kagame at his Office in Village Urugwiro on Tuesday afternoon.
Addressing members of the press at the Kigali Convention Centre (KCC) after the presentation, the ambassadors expressed their unequivocal commitment to strengthening bilateral relations between their respective nations and Kigali.
The Kenyan High Commissioner noted that Kenya and Rwanda have continued to enjoy cordial and fraternal relations dating back to 1965, which began with the opening of a diplomatic mission by Kenya in 1986.
She emphasized Kenya’s aim to retain its position as one of Rwanda’s top three trade partners.
Notably, Kenya exports foodstuffs, beverages, pharmaceutical products, cement, iron, and skin products to Rwanda, while Rwanda exports coffee, tea, horticultural foods, and raw hides and skins to Kenya.
Kenya is also the main route for Rwanda’s exports and imports through the Port of Mombasa.
“The trade volumes in recent years have risen, and I look forward to engaging the Rwandan authorities to build on this good relationship built over the years for the exchange of goods and services,” Ms. Oben stated.
The High Commissioner committed to following up on the existing cooperation agreements between Kenya and Rwanda, including 10 agreements signed during President William Ruto’s state visit to Rwanda in April last year.
The Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) aim to enhance cooperation in several areas, including education, ICT, health, gender and child development, youth and capacity development for the public service, as well as correctional services.
“I commit to following up on the implementation of the existing agreements to ensure they expand and give rise to new opportunities to boost our bilateral relations,” she added.
She also pledged Kenya’s commitment to partnering with Rwanda to promote peace and security in the region.
On the other hand, the Egyptian Ambassador to Rwanda affirmed the political goodwill on Egypt’s side to engage and enhance bilateral relations in different sectors, including political, economic, health, security, and military.
The Canadian High Commissioner to Rwanda, on her part, said she looks forward to strengthening the good commercial relations between the two countries, even as she praised the secure business environment.
“It will be easy for me to do so considering how already well-established these relations are… We have a large Rwandan diaspora in Canada that we can count on, and we already have some companies established here in Rwanda. The environment here has been safe and very dynamic,” Ms. Crowley affirmed.
Canada also aims to expand its support and technical assistance in the health sector, education, and job creation.
“We collaborate quite closely with learning institutions, with the University of Rwanda being one of them… We are very grateful for the interest in studying in Canada that we see year on year from young students, and I have no doubt that will continue.
“We will also encourage partnerships between Canadian universities and Rwandan universities so that technical collaborations can take place and enrich the offerings here in terms of master’s, Ph.D.s, and the like,” she added.
These reports have documented FARDC officers working with the FDLR against the M23 group.
Following discussions with Rwanda and the United States in late 2023, FARDC Chief of Staff Christian Tshiwewe ordered a halt to any cooperation with the FDLR. However, Rwanda claims that collaboration persisted even after the FDLR launched attacks in 2022.
DRC Foreign Affairs Minister Christophe Lutundula, in a March 25, 2024, press briefing, insisted on the absence of information on the FDLR within the DRC government.
He urged the international community to share any intelligence to help eliminate the group and mentioned the need for identifying FDLR members for repatriation to Rwanda.
Lutundula also highlighted ongoing joint military operations with Burundi against various armed factions in South Kivu, aligning with the Nairobi declaration’s objectives. Nonetheless, he did not address why the DRC rejected Rwanda’s offer to dispatch troops to combat the FDLR, a move agreed upon in the declaration.
At a recent meeting in Luanda, Angola, Lutundula promised to outline measures for dismantling the FDLR in an upcoming April 2024 session.
The meeting between these two delegations took place on the 21st day of March, as stated in a communication from the Angolan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
While the specifics of the discussions and the conclusions reached have not been disclosed, it is evident that the focus was on addressing security issues in the Eastern region of the Congo, where the M23 rebel group has recently intensified its operations in clashes with government forces, neighboring countries, and other armed groups.
This dialogue follows President Paul Kagame’s recent visit to Angola, where he met with Angolan President João Lourenço to discuss security issues in the region.
Congo accuses Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebel group, although Rwanda denies this allegation.
The Rwandan government asserts that the root causes of insecurity in the Eastern Congo include the presence of the FDLR militia, implicated in various atrocities including attacks on civilians, perpetuation of genocide ideology, and destabilization.
Rwanda highlights the need for addressing the FDLR presence in the DRC, as outlined in the agreements of Luanda and Nairobi, considering the overall security situation in the Eastern region and beyond, as issues such as the resurgence of genocidal militias continue to threaten stability, particularly due to their involvement in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Angolan President Lourenço held discussions with Félix Tshisekedi on the 27th of February 2024 during their meeting in Luanda.
This was announced by the office of the President of France on March 21, 2024, after he had a conversation with the President of Angola, João Lourenço, who acts as a mediator between the DRC and Rwanda.
The statement said, “The President of the Republic [Macron] warmly welcomed the efforts of the President of Angola in resolving the issues of Congo, particularly through diplomatic means, and fully supports this mediating approach in finding a solution to the conflicts through dialogue, as he recently reminded the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, and the DRC, Félix Tshisekedi.”
In February 2024, the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, announced his readiness to re-engage in dialogue with his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, aiming to find a solution to the ongoing tensions between the two countries.
President Macron’s statement comes after France’s attempts to quell the tensions between Rwanda and the DRC.
In September 2022, President Paul Kagame, his counterpart Félix Tshisekedi, and Emmanuel Macron of France held talks aimed at examining how peace could be restored in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
These Heads of State met in New York, United States, during the United Nations General Assembly.
A report by Jeune Afrique in that year mentioned that it had reliable information that France was involved in mediating efforts between Rwanda and the DRC.
It is reported that in June 2022, amid severe tensions between the two countries, President Emmanuel Macron had discussions with the leadership of Rwanda and later committed to calling President Félix Tshisekedi.
Furthermore, it is said that President Macron played a role in ensuring the mediation by the President of Angola, João Lourenço, and continued to support all the steps taken.
In a press statement on Friday, March 22, 2024, the Ministry of Defence said the army chief replaces Gen Wilson Mbasu Mbadi, who has been appointed Minister of State for Trade.
Until his latest appointment, Muhoozi, who is widely seen as his father’s successor in waiting, was serving as Senior Presidential Advisor in charge of Special Operations.
The appointment comes nearly two years after Museveni removed Muhoozi as Chief of Land Forces following his viral social media post about capturing Nairobi in two weeks, which threatened diplomatic ties with Kenya.
The Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs later downplayed Muhoozi’s comments on X (formerly Twitter) and clarified that the government does not conduct its foreign policy and other official business through social media.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uganda has noted the debate on social media with respect to the relationship between Uganda and our brotherly neighbour, the Republic of Kenya. To this end, the Government of the Republic of Uganda wishes to reiterate its commitment to good neighbourliness, peaceful co-existence and cooperation.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to clarify that the Government of the Republic of Uganda does not conduct its Foreign Policy and other official business through social media nor does it depend on social media sources in dealing with other sovereign Governments,” the ministry said in a statement.
{{More appointments}}
In the latest appointments, President Museveni named Lt Gen Peter Elwelu Senior Presidential Advisor, while Lt Gen Samuel Okiding was appointed Deputy Chief of Defence Forces.
Additionally, Maj Gen Leopold Eric Kyanda takes over as Defence Attaché while Maj Gen Jackson Bakasumba assumes the role of Joint Chief of Staff.
Similarly, Brig Gen David Mugisha was promoted to major General while Col Asaph Nyakyikuru was promoted to Brigadier General.
“The UPDF fraternity Congratulates the General officers for the new appointments and well-deserved promotions and wish them good luck in their new assignments and ranks,” said Defence Spokesperson FM Kulayigne.
The newspaper interviewed them as witnesses to argue that Rwanda is an unstable country, to the extent that it should not receive migrants from the United Kingdom (UK), based on the agreements these countries made in December 2023.
Ali, who lives in the UK as a refugee, and Ingabire, who leads the unrecognized DALFA Umurinzi party in Rwanda, said that human rights are not respected and that no Rwandan is allowed to express opinions different from the government’s stance.
Channel 4 used another witness, whose voice and name were changed for security reasons, calling him Robert Wood, who said that anyone who tries to criticize the Rwandan government, even from abroad, is pursued.
Makolo stated that the RNC, founded by Kayumba Nyamwasa, is a terrorist group that has attacked Rwanda, resulting in the loss of Rwandan lives. Regarding Ingabire, she said that she collaborated with the FDLR terrorist group in a plan to overthrow the Rwandan government.
She said, “It’s inappropriate for Channel 4 to provide a platform to criminals. The RNC is a terrorist group that has launched grenade attacks and others on Rwandan soil, killing innocent civilians and Rwandans.”
“Victoire Ingabire collaborated with the genocidal FDLR group in plans to remove the government. She was convicted by the court, in a trial that included testimonies from her co-conspirators and extensive evidence, some of which was provided by the Dutch government,” added Makolo.
In this interview, Ingabire mentioned that the supreme court refused to clear her record so she could run in the elections scheduled for July 2024.
Makolo explained that, like in other countries, anyone suspected of crimes is pursued by justice in Rwanda and is not allowed to be a candidate in elections if they come out of prison. She said, “In Rwanda and elsewhere, the law is respected.”
The RNC attacks the government spokesperson referred to were carried out in the City of Kigali in the 2010s. As a result, the court sentenced Nyamwasa to 24 years in prison and stripped him of his ‘Lieutenant General’ rank in the Rwandan military.
Ingabire was sentenced to 15 years in prison after being found guilty of conspiring against the country, intending to deprive it of its freedom and create a group of malefactors.
She was released in 2018 after receiving a pardon from the President, but was later investigated following an attack by the RUD-Urunana group, originating from FDLR, in Musanze in 2019.
