Foreign Affairs Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe defended Rwanda against accusations over the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, saying the country should not be blamed for political and security problems that require Congolese solutions.
Speaking to AFP on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow on October 28, Nduhungirehe described the political and security situation in DR Congo as primarily a Congolese matter.
“Rwanda must not be held as a scapegoat for what is happening in Congo forever,” he said.
His remarks reflected Rwanda’s rejections of accusations concerning its role in the conflict.
Rwanda has maintained that armed groups in eastern DR Congo, including militias founded by people involved in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, threaten its security.
Nduhungirehe also rejected Kinshasa’s description of former Congolese president Joseph Kabila as a Rwandan proxy.
According to AFP, that accusation followed Kabila’s decision to join forces with M23 earlier in October.
The minister maintained that the dispute involving Kabila was a political issue that Congolese actors should resolve among themselves through a political settlement, rather than attributing it to Rwanda.
Elie GATETE
RADIOTV10