What Kagame Told EAC Leaders’ Summit on DRC Crisis

By Spurb Ernest

The Rwandan leader said he personally foresaw what has finally befallen Eastern DRC. He went on to question the relevance of East Africa Community describing its processes as talking shop.

Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame has criticized the efforts by the East African Community and the international community as a whole for failing to resolve the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo-DRC. 

Speaking at the 24th Extra Ordinary Summit of EAC Heads of State on Eastern DRC, Paul Kagame asked his colleagues whether any of them did not foresee what finally unfolded in Goma. “Is there anybody among us who did not see this coming? I for one I saw it coming” he said.

Where is the EAC or does it exist? And exists for what?

Kagame used the summit to ask about the relevance of the East Africa Community in relation to the conflict in DRC. As the East African Community, what did we want from the beginning? What did we do about that?  What are we doing now? And what do we want to do for where we want to go?” asked Kagame who went to insinuate that the processes at Arusha are more of a talking shop. 

“By the way the country we are talking about is not represented as we are discussing. And it is supposed to be the country is supposed to be part of East Africa”

The processes to resolve the conflict include the East African process led by Kenya (initially by President Uhuru Kenyatta and currently his predecessor, William Ruto) and another led by Angola President João Lourenço.

Kagame noted a lack of direction by the EAC leaders in trying to resolve the crisis, wondering whether the leaders knew what they wanted to achieve and how to achieve it. 

“Because, exactly like President Samia has mentioned, if it is talking about problems and defining them, I think we have been very eloquent. But when do we match what we are saying, and what we are doing, so that we get to what we want to do? When we come to that, I haven’t seen it!”

Slamming DRC for shunning the summit, Kagame questioned the ability of the EAC to resolve conflicts in the region, where there’s no single direction. “I asked last time in our meeting: Where is the East African Community? Or does it exist? And exist for what? By the way, the person we are talking about or the country we’re talking about is not represented as we’re discussing. And the country is supposed to be part of East Africa?”

This, according to him showed that the discussions will not have a bearing on what happens in the Congo. “Even if all of us were doing everything right, nothing is going to come out of it, until those mainly concerned are also part of it, participating and contributing to the success of the process through which they are getting the support.” 

However, Kagame, who has been cited in reports on the conflicts said the EAC regional force had started on a good note, only for the DRC president to “order” them out of the country and bring in others, which he said was the beginning of the current situation.

“When the East African force was trying its best and we were seeing progress, Tshisekedi decided they were not doing what he wanted, and went to SADC, SADC agreed they would come and do what he wanted, and he sent everybody else parking, and we complied and kept quiet,” Kagame lamented, and wondered, “What did we expect to come out of this? Now, worse still, I think even in East Africa itself, maybe we have a different understanding of what the problem is!”

Kagame said that after that the EAC leadership never came together to agree “or even disagree and find a way to finally come together to do what we ought to do” to deal with the problem. 

Instead, he said each country seems to have decided to go its own direction or agenda in the Congo.

“If your interests were catered for by Tshisekedi, that was fine, even if the others’ interests or concerns were not taken care of, you can therefore, what kind of chaos comes out of that kind of situation!” He said of the need for real joint and meaningful efforts unlike currently, if a solution was to be got.

“We’re on one hand assuming or pretending that we’re coming together over an issue and trying to find a solution, while at the same time, each country is pulling in its direction, different from the others,” he said. However, he said, until the parties involved in the crisis agree to be part of the peace process, nothing will come of the regional efforts, even if the leaders finally do the right things.

Instead, he blamed his DRC counterpart for abandoning the EAC efforts and going for other regions like SADC, and remnants of the former Rwanda army, FDLR, which Kagame accused of killing Rwandans, to do things the way Tshisekedi wanted which the EAC had failed to do.

“He got rid of them and decided to bring in SADC, SADC was without any question coming to assist Tshisekedi, to fight alongside FDLR, these murderers of our people here in this country! To fight along mercenaries and to have Burundi on the ethnic political basis…” He expressed dismay at what SADC decided to support Tshisekedi “in whatever endeavor, including doing what exactly those murderers did to our people and what they are doing in Eastern Congo.”

He reminded the leaders of the atrocities that he claims have been committed by DRC and her allies.

“They have displaced people, they have killed people, they have persecuted them daily for who they are. We have refugees who have been here for the last twenty-plus years, just dislocated from Congo and sent to Rwanda because they say these are ethnic Tutsis, therefore, they belong to Rwanda. They don’t belong there!”

According to Kagame, the presence of several multinational forces shows the world is aware of the conflict but has chosen not to do the right things. “We have MONUSCO, we have SAMIDRC, we have mercenaries, we have Burundi, we have FDLR that has joined them, and everybody is there watching this thing and we pretend like we don’t understand what has been going on for all these years?, he wondered.

“And then when things like these of last week erupted we behave like we are surprised, that we are concerned about a humanitarian crisis. Isn’t persecuting people killing people and displacing them part of that humanitarian concern? As East Africans we sit here and then do what about it?”

Kagame specifically bashed South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa for accepting to support a war against people fighting for their rights in their country.

He was also irked by Ramaphosa’s comments when he called him earlier in the week.

“I spoke to the president of South Africa, who sought me out to speak on this matter and he’s also there pretending to be playing a peacemaker role, and he has a force that has been fighting alongside FDLR and has been fighting the M23 on the instructions of Tshisekedi because these are people who are not supposed to be in Congo, that these are from Rwanda…M23 are not Rwandans, please! These are Congolese!”

He said the DRC president, knows this because he at times accepts it, then another time, he says part of them are from Rwanda. 

“And how do we, leaders of our own countries accept this to go on forever and just accept we shall be manipulated by Tshisekedi or whoever is supporting him? And South Africa dares even issue threats, about what’s likely to happen after that and so on!? Of course, we will see what threats they are talking about,” Kagame vowed.

“Maybe they should have done that exactly for which they have been issuing threats – they should have done it to clean up the mess in Eastern Congo, or to fight back those who have been trying to clean up the mess. So then you have the whole international community just confused!”

On the peace processes, Kagame blamed the international community for focusing on the leaders instead of the processes.

“Honestly, even here, maybe you will help me understand what all this means. The processes became an end in themselves, and the people leading these processes became more important than the results of the processes. T

he Nairobi Process became a “Uhuru Process”, then the Rwanda Process is like you can’t say anything that will displease President Lourenço (João of Angola)!”

He said this can not help deal with such serious matters as we are faced with today. “I don’t understand how Tshisekedi keeps thinking that he will resolve the problems to do with rights of people militarily, kill them, shoot them, bring in forces that are ready to help, like, especially Burundi… well, I don’t know whether that has been helpful for the last few days or weeks they have been doing that.”

Kagame Threatens to fight back against South Africa.

He told the meeting that he had spoken to the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa about the matter. He accused Ramphosa of “pretending” to be playing a peacemaker role. 

“And he has a force that has been fighting alongside FDLR . And as been fighting M23 because of the instructions of Tshisekedi because these are people who are not supposed to be in Congo” he said “That these are from Rwanda. M23 are not Rwandans please. These are Congolese. One time he accepts it. They another time he says no part of it …”

The summit called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. It further urged President, Felix Tshisekedi to engage directly with all stakeholders, including the M23 rebel group with a views of resolving conflict.

“The summit called on all parties to the conflict in eastern DRC to cease hostilities and observe an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and facilitate humanitarian access to the affected population,” the leaders stated in their communique

South Africa Speaks Out

South Africa Defence Minister, Angie Motshekga on Wednesday addressed journalists about the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She confirmed that President, Ramaphosa had warned of possible retaliation when the M23 were shelling positions occupied by SANDF soldiers. South Africa lost 13 soldiers during crossfire.  

“There has been no hostilities between us. It is just when they were firing above our heads. The President di warn them to say if you are going to fire, we will take it as declaration of war and we have to defend our people. And that is when the firing also stopped.” Motshekga said.

She revealed that they have been meeting as force contributing countries of Summit DRC which includes South Africa, Tanzania and Malawi to assess the situation. 

“The general posture that we are taking is to force the parties to go into peaceful negotiation. Because our sense is that war is not going to be won through arms” she said.   

South Africa’s international relations Minister, Ronald Lamola they have called countries backing the m23 rebels to immediately cease support immediately. 

“That is the position of the peace and security council which was also presented to the United Nations Security Council” he said.  

The Security Council stated that attacks on SANDF could constitute a war crime. SANDF is in DRC under the mandate of SADC, the African Union or multilateral platforms.

Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, State Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Francophonie of the Democratic Republic of the Congo addressed the UN Security council over the situation in Goma.  She urged the council to ensure that Rwanda does not continue to act with impunity.

“And I therefore call on the council to act in defense of the principal of multilateralism and international law. The DRC welcomes the decision by Germany (not a council member) to cancel its meeting next month on development aid with Rwanda. And to urge M23 and Rwanda to withdraw their troops”

The escalation of the conflict in North Kivu has partly been blamed on armed groups accused of plundering minerals such tantalum and cobalt.