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Kagame Says Rwanda won’t Attack DRC Over FDLR

by Jean de la Croix Tabaro
1:51 pm

President Paul Kagame has said Rwanda will not attack DRCongo if the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda rebels refuse to peacefully disarm.

The President said during a Thursday press briefing at village Urugwiro that in case FDLR does not disarm, “Rwanda will keep getting better in ensuring its internal security, whatever happens to FDLR.”

Asked about his plan B in case FDLR disarmament fails, he said, “we do not have a say at anyone’s territory, but blame me if things go wrong here.”

However, Kagame said he is frustrated FDLR failed to meet two deadlines to disarm.

The latest deadline was January 2, after which MONUSCO, International Conference for Great Lakes Region(ICGLR), Southern African Development Community (SADC) and Democratic Republic of Congo had said they would lead a military action against the militia.

No military action against the FDLR rebels has been taken so far.

An ICGLR meeting that was supposed to review this commitment today January 15, was called off by ICGLR chairman, the Angolan president Jose Eduardo dos Santos.

“The insensitivities around this issue reminds us what they (FDLR) committed in the Genocide; it reveals that Genocide was broader than what people tend to believe, “he said.

Kagame said different players have been speculating in regard to FDLR disarmament.

In most cases, he said players bring a number of excuses including, that “FDLR are just children of the genocidaires, not the real genocidaires, they are mixed with civilians, etc.”

A part from having committed the Genocide, FDLR conducted frequent attacks against civilians in Rwanda, killing dozens of people in the past two decades.

FDLR militants after their surrender in Kateku, eastern DRCongo. The Deadline to disarm was January 2, 2015.

FDLR militants after their surrender in Kateku, eastern DRCongo. The Deadline to disarm was January 2, 2015.