President Kagame Accuses DRC of Provoking Security Crisis, Demands Lasting Solution at EAC-SADC Summit

Dar es Salaam –8 February, 2025: Rwandan President Paul Kagame has strongly criticized the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for failing to resolve longstanding security tensions, warning that Rwanda will not remain silent while facing security threats from its neighbor.

Speaking at the East African Community (EAC) – Southern African Development Community (SADC) Joint Summit, Kagame accused the DRC of consistently ignoring appeals for a peaceful resolution to the escalating crisis.

“DRC cannot just tell us to keep quiet when they are mounting a security problem against our country. Nobody can tell us to shut up,” Kagame declared, emphasizing Rwanda’s frustration over the deteriorating situation.

The conflict in eastern DRC has been a source of regional instability, with allegations of rebel activity and ethnic violence continuing to fuel tensions.

Kagame insisted that Rwanda has made multiple efforts to address these issues diplomatically, but the DRC leadership has refused to engage meaningfully.

“We have been begging DRC and its leaders for a long time; we have shared our issues and asked DRC to address them, but they have refused,”he said.

Expressing frustration at the lack of progress in previous meetings, Kagame stressed the urgency of taking concrete actions instead of endless discussions.

“Let us not just have another meeting like the many we have had. We can’t go on forever massaging problems,” he stated.

The Rwandan leader pointed to what he called an “ethnic war” in eastern DRC, blaming the Congolese government for suppressing certain communities and then targeting Rwanda as a scapegoat.

“What is happening there is an ethnic war that has been brewing for a long time—denying people’s rights and then attacking Rwanda. You must recognize people’s rights and take a step to resolve the issue,” Kagame urged.

He firmly rejected accusations that Rwanda is responsible for the ongoing violence, asserting that the conflict is a result of internal Congolese issues.

“This war was started by DRC and not anything from Rwanda. It was just brought and put on our shoulders, and we were told to own it. We can’t own it. There is no question about it,” he said.

Kagame called on the summit to take decisive action in addressing the root causes of unrest in eastern DRC, stressing that it was time for serious and lasting solutions.

“Let us use this meeting in a manner that will put into account all these matters seriously and find a lasting solution,” he concluded.