{"id":2000126902,"date":"2026-09-24T10:12:36","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T08:12:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000126902"},"modified":"2026-09-24T10:17:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T08:17:12","slug":"rwanda-pm-urges-un-to-address-eastern-drc-conflict-root-causes-flags-fdlr-burundi-role","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/rwanda-pm-urges-un-to-address-eastern-drc-conflict-root-causes-flags-fdlr-burundi-role\/","title":{"rendered":"Rwanda PM urges UN to address Eastern DRC conflict root causes, flags FDLR, Burundi role"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Nsengiyumva made the remarks while delivering Rwanda\u2019s national statement at the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, September 23, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is no lasting peace without confronting the root causes of the conflict and addressing the legitimate concerns of all those affected,\u201d he told the Assembly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Prime Minister said the roots of the conflict in Eastern DRC are political and linked to long-standing grievances, exclusion and failures of governance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe solution, too, must be political,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nsengiyumva affirmed that Rwanda supports ongoing diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the conflict, citing the Washington Accords between Rwanda and the DRC and the Doha Process between the DRC and AFC\/M23 as steps in the right direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also commended US President Donald Trump, Qatar\u2019s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the African Union mediator, Togo\u2019s President Faure Gnassingb\u00e9, for their efforts to advance the peace processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rwanda, he maintained, remains committed to a region where countries can coexist peacefully, trade and develop together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe call on all actors, including the Security Council, to support these same peace efforts fairly, and to encourage all parties to honour their commitments,\u201d Nsengiyumva urged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FDLR remains a concern<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his address, the Prime Minister also raised the threat posed by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), describing the militia group linked to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi as a longstanding security concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor more than three decades, the FDLR has spread genocidal ideology, committed grave abuses in Eastern DRC, and directly threatened Rwanda\u2019s security, including through cross-border attacks,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nsengiyumva told the Assembly that the FDLR operates alongside Burundian troops and DRC-sponsored militias and mercenaries, saying this violated international and regional conventions on mercenaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The remarks come amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to address the conflict in Eastern DRC, where Rwanda and the DRC have been involved in negotiations under separate Washington and Doha processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rwanda has consistently called for the threat posed by the FDLR to be addressed as part of efforts to resolve tensions with the Kinshasa administration and the broader conflict involving AFC\/M23 in eastern DRC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Call for UN reform<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nsengiyumva also used his address to call for reforms that would enable the UN to respond more effectively to global challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the organisation had yet to demonstrate that it can sufficiently adapt to a changing and uncertain world, arguing that its legitimacy should be measured by what it delivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInstitutions earn legitimacy not by what they promise, but by what they deliver year after year,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Prime Minister said the UN had often been more effective at responding to crises than anticipating them, citing pandemics, climate shocks, technological disruption and conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He argued that prevention should extend beyond armed conflicts to addressing conditions that leave countries vulnerable to poverty, economic shocks and exclusion from opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAn international system that gives all countries a fair opportunity to determine their own development pathways must be central to the UN80 reform process,\u201d Nsengiyumva said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also emphasised that Rwanda welcomed the session\u2019s focus on restoring trust through prevention, inclusion and reform and said Kigali was ready to work with other UN member states toward those goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PM Nsengiyumva is representing President Kagame at the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The high-level General Debate brings together heads of state, heads of government and other senior representatives from the 193 UN member states. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The session is being held under the theme \u201cRestoring trust, managing
transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The agenda includes discussions on multilateral cooperation, peace and security, sustainable development, climate action, public health and human rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond delivering Rwanda\u2019s national statement, Nsengiyumva is scheduled to participate in high-level meetings, side events and bilateral engagements with international partners during his time in New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Rwanda\u2019s Prime Minister Justin Nsengiyumva has challenged the United Nations to help address the root causes of the conflict in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, stressing that there can be no lasting peace without confronting them.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rwanda\u2019s Prime Minister Dr. Justin Nsengiyumva has challenged the United Nations to help address the root causes of the conflict in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, stressing that there can be no lasting peace without confronting them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000126903,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[151,70],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000126902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics-48","tag-editors-choice","tag-main-home-ighlight","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":2000122456,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-14-at-11.58.47-AM.jpeg","title":"WhatsApp Image 2026-08-14 at 11.58.47 AM","mime_type":"image\/jpeg"},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":2000122456,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-14-at-11.58.47-AM.jpeg","title":"WhatsApp Image 2026-08-14 at 11.58.47 AM","mime_type":"image\/jpeg"},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000126903,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/09\/un71154022-2bb49.jpg","alt":"","caption":"Rwanda\u2019s Prime Minister Justin Nsengiyumva has challenged the United Nations to help address the root causes of the conflict in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, stressing that there can be no lasting peace without confronting them.","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1000,"height":667,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/09\/un71154022-2bb49.jpg","width":1000,"height":667},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/09\/un71154022-2bb49.jpg","width":1000,"height":667},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/09\/un71154022-2bb49.jpg","width":1000,"height":667},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/09\/un71154022-2bb49.jpg","width":1000,"height":667},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/09\/un71154022-2bb49.jpg","width":1000,"height":667}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000126902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000126902"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000126902\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000126913,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000126902\/revisions\/2000126913"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000126903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000126902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000126902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000126902"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000126902"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000126902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}