{"id":53927,"date":"2025-04-17T22:17:24","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T22:17:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/addressing-fdlr-threat-integral-to-restoring-peace-in-eastern-congo-says-trump\/"},"modified":"2025-04-19T19:05:12","modified_gmt":"2025-04-19T19:05:12","slug":"addressing-fdlr-threat-integral-to-restoring-peace-in-eastern-congo-says-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/addressing-fdlr-threat-integral-to-restoring-peace-in-eastern-congo-says-trump\/","title":{"rendered":"Addressing FDLR threat \u2018integral\u2019 to restoring peace in eastern Congo, says Trump advisor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Speaking during a virtual press briefing following his regional tour, which included Rwanda, DR Congo, Kenya, and Uganda, Boulos said the FDLR, a group founded by the masterminds of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, featured prominently in his conversation with Rwandan President Paul Kagame.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe definitely discussed the FDLR and the risk in question,\u201d Boulos said on April 17, during the briefing on the outcomes of his African mission, which ended three days earlier. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a major element of any peace accord. If you look at all the peace initiatives, this is the key element from the Rwandan side and it\u2019s an integral part of any upcoming peace accord, initiative or agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n

The FDLR is designated a terrorist organisation by both the United Nations and the United States. Despite its history and ongoing human rights abuses, it remains a key part of the Congolese government\u2019s military coalition against the AFC\/M23 rebels, who currently control significant territory in the eastern provinces. <\/p>\n

The rebels accuse the Congolese authorities of marginalisation and of promoting ethnic cleansing through their alliance with the FDLR and other militias.<\/p>\n

For years, Kigali has raised alarm over Kinshasa\u2019s collaboration with the FDLR, whose fighters have been implicated in numerous attacks on Rwandan territory, including nearly 20 incidents since 2018. In response, Rwanda has tightened security along its borders to prevent further incursions.<\/p>\n

Tensions between the two neighbours escalated further following statements by Congolese President F\u00e9lix Tshisekedi in late 2023, in which he threatened to support regime change in Rwanda and said he would seek parliamentary approval to declare war.<\/p>\n

Boulos confirmed that the Trump administration is engaging both sides and supports regional efforts to resolve the crisis peacefully. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been engaging with both parties and this is one of the main elements of those discussions,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are solutions \u2013 we are not reinventing the wheel here. There are terms that have previously been drafted and agreed upon by both parties, and we will continue working with them towards that.\u201d<\/p>\n

He reiterated Washington\u2019s support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states involved. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur role and commitment is to ensure sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries in question\u2014not just one country or two, but all that are involved,\u201d Boulos said. <\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody has to be at ease and feel comfortable with the terms and safe from any such threats, whether they are actual or perceived or any future threats.\u201d<\/p>\n

While in Kigali on April 8, Boulos held talks with President Kagame at Urugwiro Village, where they discussed strengthening U.S.\u2013Rwanda ties and advancing regional peace. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe are ready to work with Rwanda to achieve this goal, which is why finding a resolution to the conflict in eastern DRC is so essential\u2014it will unlock the region\u2019s untapped potential,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

During his Rwanda visit, Boulos toured the Mutobo Demobilisation Centre, which reintegrates former armed group members. <\/p>\n

He spoke with ex-FDLR fighters recently repatriated from eastern Congo, including Maj. Ndayambaje Gilbert, who returned on March 1. Ndayambaje confirmed the FDLR’s strong collaboration with Congolese forces in the ongoing war with the AFC\/M23 coalition.<\/p>\n

Boulos\u2019s tour included stops in Uganda and Kenya, where he met with Presidents Yoweri Museveni and William Ruto respectively, as well as a meeting with President Tshisekedi in Kinshasa.<\/p>\n

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

Finding a solution to the threat posed by the FDLR militia must be \u201can integral element\u201d of efforts to bring lasting peace to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to Massad Boulos, U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s Senior Advisor for Africa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000085901,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[72],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-53927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-featured-news-home","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000085901,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/75220.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/75220.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/75220.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/75220.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/75220.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/75220.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53927","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=53927"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53927\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000085901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53927"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=53927"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=53927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}