The Embassy of Rwanda in the United States has clarified an incident that occurred at a hotel hosting the wife of President Tshisekedi in Washington, D.C., which had led to rumors accusing Rwanda of attempting to harm her. The Embassy stated that these claims are false and should be ignored and strongly condemned.
In the early hours of Wednesday, March 25, 2026, information widely circulated on social media, mainly shared by individuals often critical of Rwanda, alleging that Rwanda had sent people to assassinate Denise Nyakéru Tshisekedi, who is currently in Washington, D.C., in the United States.
Those spreading the rumors claimed that two individuals had attempted to attack Tshisekedi’s wife, but that the attempt was thwarted by her security team.
These allegations were strongly dismissed by observers familiar with recurring misinformation from Congolese authorities, who argued that such claims are part of a pattern of fabricated narratives.
On the same Wednesday, the Rwandan Embassy in the United States released an official statement “CLARIFICATION OF INCIDENT AT WASHINGTON DC HOTEL”
According to the Embassy, “an unarmed member of the security detail of a Rwandan VIP staying in a Washington DC hotel,” encountered members of the DRC security team in a shared public area of the hotel.
The Embassy explained that both delegations were staying at the same hotel. It added that a member of the Rwandan security team was prevented by DRC security personnel from using the elevator, behavior described as “inappropriate and wrong behavior in a common area.”
The Embassy noted that the situation was quickly resolved without any confrontation. Following the incident, “the Rwandan party made a decision to change hotels, but were harassed and filmed by unknown persons as they checked out and departed.”
It continued: “Despite this provocation, the Rwandan team was restrained and professional at all times, and carefully avoided any confrontation.”
The Embassy further stated that despite the facts, false information was still spread, including baseless claims made by the DRC Minister of Communication and Media, Patrick Muyaya, during a press briefing the previous evening.
“These contemptible lies should be disregarded and condemned.” the statement concluded.
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