Rwanda’s Prime Minister Dr Justin Nsengiyumva has said the security crisis in eastern DR Congo is a clear test of the United Nations ability to adapt to rapidly changing global challenges.
Speaking at the general debate of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, Nsengiyumva said the global body had yet to demonstrate that it could adjust effectively to an increasingly uncertain world.
He said Rwanda’s experience over the past three decades showed that institutions earn legitimacy through the results they consistently deliver rather than the promises they make.
Nsengiyumva argued that the UN has frequently been more effective at responding to crises than anticipating them, citing pandemics, climate shocks, technological disruption and armed conflicts.
He identified the situation in eastern DR Congo as a clear example of the consequences of failing to prevent conflicts before they escalate.
The Prime Minister said the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) had spent more than three decades spreading genocide ideology, committing grave abuses in eastern DR Congo and threatening Rwanda’s security through cross-border attacks.
He also alleged that the armed group currently operates alongside Burundian troops, militias supported by the Congolese government and mercenaries.
Nsengiyumva maintained that the conflict could not be resolved through military action alone.
“The roots of the conflict in Eastern DRC are political, and they lie in longstanding grievances, exclusion, and failures of governance,” he said.
He said the solution must also be political and address the legitimate concerns of all communities affected by the conflict.
Nsengiyumva reaffirmed Rwanda’s support for the Washington Accords between Rwanda and DR Congo and the Doha process involving the Congolese government and AFC/M23.
He recognised the mediation efforts of United States President Donald Trump, Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and African Union mediator President Faure Gnassingbé of Togo.
The Prime Minister called on all actors, including the UN Security Council, to support the peace initiatives fairly and encourage every party to honour its commitments.
He said Rwanda remained committed to a region in which neighbouring countries coexist peacefully, trade with one another and pursue development together.
Nsengiyumva also called for changes in how the UN handles emerging global challenges, saying reform must be judged by the organisation’s ability to produce tangible results.
He said prevention should extend beyond armed conflicts to addressing poverty, vulnerability to economic shocks and exclusion from opportunities.
The Prime Minister called for an international system that gives every country a fair opportunity to determine its own development path, saying that principle should be central to the UN80 reform process.
He concluded that the question facing the General Assembly was not whether multilateral cooperation remained relevant, but whether international institutions were prepared to adapt and deliver meaningful results.
The 81st UN General Assembly is being held under the theme, “Restoring trust, managing transformation: a United Nations that delivers for all.”
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