A UN Security Council session on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) exposed deep divisions and mutual recriminations between Kinshasa and Kigali, with representatives from both nations appealing to the international body for action on Tuesday.
The session focused on the persistent violence in the eastern DRC, the implementation of the Washington peace agreement signed in June, and the future of the UN peacekeeping mission (MONUSCO).
DRC Permanent Representative Zenon Mukongo Ngay delivered a statement, framing the Washington agreement as an essential precursor to peace.
"The withdrawal of Rwandan troops, the end of their support to the M23, and the return of Congolese state authority over all occupied areas are non-negotiable conditions for true peace," Ngay said.
Ngay directly challenged the Security Council, asserting that it "must ensure the strict implementation of this agreement... As long as these decisions are not executed, the blood of innocents will continue to be shed.”
In response, Rwanda’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Martin Ngoga, highlighted the importance of a structured peace process aimed at tackling the "root causes of conflict, including issues of governance, exclusion, armed groups and ethnic tensions."
However, he expressed 'principal concerns' with the Secretary-General's report, citing 'underreporting of critical facts' and an 'imbalanced portrayal of armed groups.'
Ngoga went on to condemn the persistent presence of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a group which he claimed is "backed by the DRC government."
Rwanda insists that the DRC’s support for the FDLR poses an existential threat to its security, while Kinshasa counters with accusations that Kigali backs M23 rebels for territorial and economic gain.
Mandatory credit: UN Web TV / News use only
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98.4 Capital FM 93.0 Western Kenya 98.5 Nakuru and Nyeri 104.5 Malindi 102.7 Garissa 103.9 Meru 106.5 Kitui 104.9 Voi
00:00I resume my function as a President of Council.
00:30L'objectif pour la République démocratique du Congo demeure inchangé.
00:49Obtenir une paix juste, durable et véritable n'ont une accalmie factice et éphémère
00:58qui, depuis près de 30 ans, a trop souvent déçu l'espérance de notre peuple.
01:03Nous attendons de la communauté internationale et de ce Conseil de sécurité qu'ils se tiennent
01:10avec constance et courage du côté du droit.
01:14C'est à ce prix que la vérité l'emportera sur l'impunité et que la paix redeviendra possible.
01:20La République démocratique du Congo est un pays de vie, de richesse naturelle et de résilience humaine.
01:28Nous voulons contribuer à la paix mondiale, mais la paix commence par la reconnaissance de notre propre tragédie.
01:36J'adresse à cette Assemblée un appel solennel.
01:40Reconnaissez les génocides congolais, soutenez notre combat pour la vérité et la justice
01:46et aidez-nous à bâtir enfin une paix durable au cœur de l'Afrique.
01:51Nous demandons que les Nations Unies instaurent un régime de sanctions ciblé contre les auteurs des crimes économiques,
01:59mais aussi des crimes de guerre, crimes contre l'humanité et crimes de génocide commis à l'est de mon pays
02:06et qu'elles soutiennent toutes les actions visant à tarir les circuits illicites d'approvisionnement
02:12en minerais qui financent depuis des décennies la guerre et la tragédie humaine.
02:17La communauté internationale a le devoir moral et politique de reconnaître cette tragédie pour ce qu'elle est,
02:27un génocide, et d'agir en conséquence.
02:30Le silence et l'inaction face à ces crimes s'apparentent à une complicité.
02:35Nous demandons la mise en place immédiate d'une commission d'enquête internationale indépendante et dotée de moyens
02:43pour rétablir la vérité, rendre justice aux victimes et rompre le cycle de l'impunité qui nourrit ce drame depuis des décennies.
02:53Monsieur le Président, en ce qui concerne la MONUSCO, la position de mon pays a déjà été exprimée maintes fois ici.
03:01Mon gouvernement est en plus favorable à l'option d'un rôle opérationnel à conférer à la MONUSCO
03:08en matière de vérification d'un éventuel cessez-le-feu et de soutien à la mise en œuvre des accords de paix.
03:16Nous voulons insister sur la nécessité pour les conseils de sécurité de renforcer diplomatiquement, militairement ainsi que financièrement la MONUSCO
03:25pour l'accomplissement de son mandat qui sera bientôt renouvelé.
03:30Nous en appelons au Conseil de prendre des décisions pour contraindre le Rwanda et son supplétif du M23-FC
03:38de ne pas entraver les libertés de mouvement de la force de paix de la MONUSCO.
03:43Thank you for giving me the floor and allow me to begin by commanding the peace process provides a structured and inclusive framework for dialogue
03:53aimed at tackling the root causes of conflict including issues of governance, exclusion, armed groups and ethnic tensions.
04:02Rwanda sees hope in these efforts.
04:06But their success depends on full commitment and genuine political will from all parties involved.
04:13This is a one-time chance to bring lasting peace to the DRC.
04:17And the Security Council must lend its unequivocal support.
04:21We call on all parties to honour their commitments, engage constructively,
04:25and ensure that this process translates into concrete measures that will bring peace and address the underlying drivers of conflict in the Eastern DRC.
04:35I want you to reiterate that Rwanda is fully committed to this process and we shall implement it to the letter.
04:43Having reviewed the Secretary General's report under consideration today,
04:47I wish to share Rwanda's principal concerns, notably the underreporting of critical facts,
04:55the imbalanced portrayal of armed groups, the persistent and dangerous presence of the DRC-backed effort there,
05:03and the implications for MONUSCO's future role as the peace agreement moves into implementation.
05:09I want you to reiterate that the Washington agreement creates a role for MONUSCO.
05:15And this requires that MONUSCO positions itself to implement this role in a constructive way.
05:22So the advice we are giving here is in that logic.
05:26While we value reporting, the latest report on Eastern DRC reflects troubling omissions.
05:36The chief among them is the failure to sufficiently address one of the most dangerous drivers of violence,
05:43and that is hate speech and identity-based persecution.
05:48I know in paragraph 79, the report talks about hate speech, but not sufficiently.
05:53Hate speech is something very dangerous.
05:58I have seen reports of the Security Council where you quote from the social media postings.
06:06Who has not seen hate speech in social media, in classrooms, in churches,
06:14where hate is taught to 10-year-olds?
06:17Who has not seen those posts?
06:19Only last week, some people were being tormented because they had a long nose.
06:27Those who know the history of the region know what it means, what a long nose means.
06:33It means death to some people.
06:36So this is not something that the report must refer to in passing.
06:40The report does not address the issue of mercenaries.
06:46There is a whole convention of the United Nations against the use of mercenaries.
06:52There are more than two Security Council resolutions against the use of mercenaries.
06:58There is the African Union resolution against the use of mercenaries.
07:02When did this council ever address the issue of mercenaries?
07:08There are mercenaries now.
07:10There were mercenaries before.
07:12When they were flushed out of the forests, everyone was there to see.
07:16Why is it that the Security Council treats this as a non-issue?
07:21And why is it that the Monosco does not consider this as an issue?
07:26Why is the Rwanda concerned?
07:28Because it is just across our border.
07:32Kinyarwanda speaking Congolese.
07:37Communities, including Banyamurenga in South Kivu,
07:40are being singled out for expansion and extermination.
07:43Again, who has not seen or who did not hear
07:46that there was an ultimatum given in Uvira for Tutsis to leave the country.
07:53A 10-day ultimatum.
07:55I met one senior official of the UN on the eighth day
07:59to ask why the UN had been silent all along.
08:04A commander of the AME issues an ultimatum for the ethnic group to leave the country.
08:10Where was the emergency meeting to address that?
08:16Why is the UN until now silent about it?
08:19Is it normal that an ethnic group is ordered to leave the country of their origin
08:25to go to where they are perceived to be live?
08:28To belong?
08:32Because telling the truth is the only thing we can do here.
08:36And we will not tire repeating it and repeating it.
08:39Decisions will remain entirely yours.
08:42But the truth of the matters, we shall continue to tell.
08:46FDR.
08:49FDR that is backed by the DRC government
08:52has an origin in the force that killed one million Rwandans.
08:56It is the only genocidal group that remained in its military formation in known locations
09:06with the same intentions and disturbed for the period of 31 years now.
09:13There is not any other single group I know in the history that committed the genocide, remained in that military formation,
09:22kept their arms, regrouped, got supported, remained pursuing its intent for 31 years.
09:30And today the report says they have strongholds, undisturbed.
09:35That is FDR that is discussed here as a non-issue.
09:41Actually, let me say something that you may not have to provide an answer for, but take time to reflect about it.
09:48FDR is within Faradese.
09:50And it is known, it is in your reports.
09:55FDR is assisted by the DRC government.
09:58It is there, it is known, it is in your reports.
10:01Monusco cooperates with the DRC government, with DRC AME,
10:06knowing FDR is within DRC AME.
10:09And what Monusco does, and this is on record, is to avoid units and battalions in which FDR is deployed.
10:20So which standard is that?
10:23That there is a formal military cooperation between a UN force and a government force that has a genocide force within it,
10:33as long as they are not kept in the same units.
10:36Formally, that is the position of Monusco.
10:42What does complicit mean if that is not complicit?
10:48Monusco knows FDR units are within Faradese units.
10:52What they do is just avoid those.
10:54So you can use them elsewhere, as long as we don't mix.
10:59But you are in the same efforts.
11:01Same military efforts, same military campaign.
11:03How did it occur in the wisdom of this council to form that partnership against M23, against Rwanda?
11:14M23 are Congolese who are being expelled from their country.
11:18Rwanda is a country that has suffered the genocide at the hands of FDR,
11:21and which has suffered the 21 more attacks after 1994.
11:29If 21 attacks by a non-state group supported by a state member to the UN,
11:39if it does not constitute the reason to activate Article 51 of the charter,
11:47which justifies that, which threshold does exist.
11:5121 attacks in the period of 31 years.
11:55If you wanted to know how many times FDR has attacked Rwanda,
11:59look at how many travel advisories some of your countries have issued.
12:05Because every time they attack Rwanda,
12:07you advise your citizens in order to go to that part of Rwanda.
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