President Kagame dwelled more on the situation in DRC during the Thursday diplomatic luncheon. Photos/Urugwiro Village
President Paul Kagame says that endless accusation by some countries targeting Rwanda over the conflict in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), coupled with dictates on how other people should manage their affairs, is confirmation that some countries believe that they are powerful and have more rights than others.
The Head of State made the observation on Thursday at a luncheon he hosted, with the First Lady Jeanette Kagame, in honor of members of the diplomatic corps, representing their countries and international organisations, to celebrate the new year.
President Kagame commended many of the countries represented, pointing out that most of them have supported the country in socioeconomic development over the past three decades and continue to do so, but also pointed out that others have chosen to exert their own values and dictates on Rwanda and other African countries.
He pointed out that while he agrees that that countries or people have responsibilities and values that they need to observe and be guided by, it is not anyone’s responsibility to impose their own values on other people and the values should not necessarily be the same or compatible.
“When you say values, what do you even mean? Do you mean values and interests for some and not for others or you mean values and interest that should apply to all of us, irrespective of where we come from? President Kagame pondered, highlighting some examples, including governance.
President Kagame said that anyone who holds certain values or principles does not need to be reminded or pushed to respect them because they already have a responsibility to do so, and at the same time, those looking to impose their own should at least prove that they also live by those principles -which often is not the case.
President Kagame spoke about a wide range of issues, including the role of the international community in DRC.
“If you have taken responsibility, global responsibility, to say there are certain values you are going to insist on and push for as hard as you can, that’s fine. But it also gives you the responsibility to really walk the talk,” President Kagame said, citing elections as an example.
The other example he talked about is the situation in the DRC, which he said Rwanda has been made to carry the blame, with several international actors dwelling more on accusing Rwanda of having troops in Congo or backing M23, but fail to address the actual causes of the conflict.
President Kagame said that Rwanda has for years expressed its concerns with DRC, particularly on the root causes of the longstanding conflicts, and the presence of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), whose founding members are responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
“If you want to really address a problem there is no better way of doing that, than bothering to look at and addressing the root cause of that problem. It doesn’t matter how powerful you are, you just stick to the basics, of facts, of evidence of reality.” President Kagame said, describing what he described as double standards and hypocrisy.
He said the FDLR remains active in Congo, with the support of DRC, fighting alongside DRC government forces FARDC and the Burundian army, which also espouses a similar ideology as those they are fighting alongside.
“The very people who murdered people here in Rwanda, those who carried out the Genocide, still exist, are still armed, are still practicing the ideology of genocide in our neighborhood, in eastern Congo. Supported by government, supported by leaders in that place, on the watch of this international community that talks about values, that talks about interests.” President Kagame said.
President Kagame particularly slammed the leadership of the DRC for manipulating the international community, to make everyone one believe that Rwanda is the main cause of the conflict in DRC, instead of addressing the underlying issues once and for all.
Without mincing his words, President Kagame blamed some countries for accepting to be manipulated by the president of DRC, Felix Antoine Tshisekedi, who they also manipulate to meet their own interests. He said that what is more appalling is that Tshisekedi, who has formed a genocidal alliance, does not meet any of the values western countries seek to impose on Rwanda, including democracy.
“I know leaders when I see them. I also know idiots when I see them. You can imagine the combination of both of them, the disaster it is. If you are a leader and an idiot, it’s an absolute disaster. It is even worse, even more dangerous, if the very people who hold the power in their hands decide that they will be manipulated and played around for some interest by idiots,” President Kagame said of Congolese leaders.
In doing so, President Kagame said that those who accused Rwanda want to have their way, against the interests and will of others, something he said he would never accept, because Rwanda cannot go back to what it was 30 years ago, when the country lost more than one million citizens in the genocide against the Tutsi, which the same countries lecturing Rwanda failed to stop.
“I can’t afford to behave the way you want me to behave in dealing with this problem. Please, also understand us and understand the people you are dealing with. We are not the same old idiots you dealt with fifty years ago. We are not. Not at all, not anywhere near to that,” President Kagame said.
“People tell us they want democracy everywhere, they encourage elections, [yet] the person who is causing problems in this situation I am talking about between Rwanda and DRC, has never twice been elected. And you know it. This is why I was saying it doesn’t matter evidence, doesn’t matter facts, doesn’t matter the claim, it is just what you think applies to you for that moment, for your benefit, the rest doesn’t matter,” he added.
For failing to understand the cause of conflict in Eastern DRC, President Kagame said Rwanda cannot relent on its security measures, amidst threats from Congolese leaders and the presence of genocidal forces by its borders, as well as continued persecution and discrimination of Congolese Tutsis, who happened to find themselves in Congo due to colonial borders.
He said that it is time African countries also stood by their own interests, well knowing that those who lecture them do not have their best interests at heart and are the causes of most problems Africa is dealing with today.
“I have had interactions with many of our leaders in the continent. And one of the things we talk about is, if we don’t take ourselves and what we do seriously, nobody will. Nobody will take us seriously. And we will always remain just neither here nor there and people doing with us whatever they want. There are things we need to be rejecting and doing so openly and without fear or favour,” President Kagame said.
He slammed the so-called UN Group of Experts, which has been behind most of the accusations targeting Rwanda, pointing out that they are not experts on anything, let alone people’s lives.
He said that without taking a strong stand on issues, those who oversaw the genocide in Rwanda would wish to see history repeat itself, whether in Rwanda or anywhere else, as it is in Eastern DRC currently, where hate speech and ethnic violence, targeting the Congolese Tutsi are ongoing but added that Rwanda cannot allow that to happen again.
