Kagame Criticizes Quick Fixes For Prolonged Insecurity In The Great Lakes Region

By Samuel Ouma

President Paul Kagame of Rwanda has attributed the persistent conflicts in the Great Lakes Region to the international community's reliance on quick fixes, instead of addressing the root causes of insecurity.

In his end-of-year address, Kagame highlighted the ongoing war in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as a case in point, where the M23 rebels continue to make advances against government forces.

“Quick fixes cannot resolve these issues. Lasting solutions rooted in addressing the core problems are needed to ensure enduring peace for all citizens of the region,” he said.

The conflict between the M23 rebels and the Congolese army, which erupted in 2021, stems from allegations that the DRC government failed to honor a 2013 agreement with the group. While the Congolese government accuses Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebels, Kigali has repeatedly denied these claims.

Efforts by the African Union to mediate the tensions, including talks led by Angola last December, have so far been unsuccessful. The mediation aimed to bring Presidents Kagame and Félix Tshisekedi to the negotiating table, but discussions collapsed at the last minute.

Rwanda has criticized the DRC for prolonging the war by refusing to negotiate with M23, which positions itself as a defender of Kinyarwanda-speaking communities in Eastern Congo. These communities are often perceived as Rwandan and persecuted by other groups in the region.

“This is essential for everyone. There can be no peace for some without peace for others. We all need peace,” Kagame emphasized.

The Rwandan president also reaffirmed his country’s commitment to safeguarding its sovereignty and security.

“I want to assure you that Rwanda’s sovereignty and security will always be fully protected, by all means necessary,” he declared.

One of the sticking points in the Angola-led talks was the demand for Rwanda to lift security measures it had implemented to counter perceived threats from the DRC. Rwanda declined, insisting that the DRC first distance itself from the FDLR, a Hutu rebel group implicated in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

“We will continue to stand for historical clarity regarding our situation, and will never accept to be painted as something we are not,” Kagame said.

The ongoing conflict in Eastern DRC has displaced over four million people, creating one of the worst humanitarian crises in the region.