Kagame to Regional Actors And Western Powers: ‘I Will Only Shut Up When I Am Dead’
KIGALI — In a blistering, high-stakes address to the Political Bureau of the RPF-Inkotanyi, President Paul Kagame leveled a sharp critique against the political leadership of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and slammed Western powers for trying to “wish away” Rwanda through a non-stop barrage of international sanctions.
The head of state addressed a wide range of complex regional issues, declaring that Rwanda will not buckle under geopolitical intimidation or carry the “baggage” of historical conflicts.
DRC Accused of Backing FDLR Over Peace
President Kagame stated that despite continuous regional diplomatic efforts, the leadership in Kinshasa has maintained a hostile stance toward true peace.
“There was one thing that was constant,” Kagame remarked. “Congo, or the leaders of Congo, didn’t want peace. They wanted to continue supporting the FDLR against us.”
Kagame highlighted that DRC forces have aligned themselves with external militaries to target Rwandan interests. He noted that Rwanda’s sole demand to its neighbors has consistently been cooperation in eliminating the security threat posed by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR)—an armed militia group active in eastern Congo.
Rejecting the ‘Baggage’ of Colonial History
Addressing accusations that Rwanda is fueling the M23 rebellion, Kagame pushed back against the international community’s expectation that Rwanda should absorb or be held responsible for the fighters. He noted that deep-seated identity conflicts in the DRC are a byproduct of colonial-era borders rather than modern Rwandan policy.
“How they became Congolese, how whatever happened in Congo and between Congo and Rwanda as of those years—I was not there,” Kagame said, adding that Rwanda cannot be made to answer for historical, colonial-era mistakes. “Rwanda is not responsible for that.”
The Uvira ‘Set Up’ and Washington Sanctions
The President pulled back the curtain on the diplomatic friction surrounding the Washington Accords. He revealed that Rwanda had explicitly provided Western powers with intelligence regarding troop movements from Burundi and the DRC army around Uvira months before an agreement was signed.
When Uvira subsequently fell to rebel forces, regional actors and Western diplomats allegedly flipped the narrative, pinning the blame on Rwanda and claiming it was an insult to U.S. leadership.
“Little did we know we had actually been just set up for something else,” Kagame stated. He decried the subsequent avalanche of international penalties, describing the diplomatic environment as one of endless hostility: “It’s just sanctions, sanctions, sanctions… There is no time for Rwanda to be listened to.”
Condemning Atrocities and Double Standards
Kagame offered a grim look at the ground reality in eastern Congo, accusing regional coalitions and mercenary groups of orchestrating indiscriminate drone strikes against vulnerable minorities, such as the Banyamulenge, in the Minembwe area.
According to Kagame, when Rwandan officials raised alarms about civilians being bombed in local markets and churches, foreign powers told them to stay out of it.
“Somebody says, ‘Don’t bring up that issue, it is none of your business.’ It’s like the story of Paul Rusesabagina,” Kagame warned. “It’s like those people being killed for their identity is none of your business. ‘Shut up, we are going to kill them anyway.’
‘The Only Way to Make Me Shut Up’
Concluding his remarks, Kagame sent a clear, unyielding message to the global powers attempting to dictate the terms of Rwanda’s existence and security operations.
“Making people shut up—just shut up—is going to be more difficult than people think,” Kagame concluded amid roaring applause from the party assembly.
“They say they will make disappear the FDLR, they make disappear M23… by extension, they were saying even you, Rwanda, we will make you disappear. Well, I can’t invite it… But I will only shut up when I am dead. That is the only way to make me shut up.”
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