The current security crisis in eastern DR Congo, where M23 rebels are closing in on Goma city, "could have been averted" if the government in Kinshasa was committed to peace, Rwanda's Permanent Representative to the United Nations said on Sunday, January 26.
Amb. Ernest Rwamucyo told the Security Council that the conflict in North Kivu Province could have been brought to an end had the Congolese government accepted dialogue with the rebels, instead of choosing a military solution.
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The situation in the conflict-ridden region worsened this week with the Congolese government suffering major losses, including the death of North Kivu Provincial Governor, Peter Cirimwami, who was killed on the battlefield in Sake, a town located about 20 kilometres from near Goma.
The rebel group have captured towns in the conflict-ridden region, the latest being Minova, which is located in South Kivu province.
"Rwanda regrets the deteriorating security situation in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo," Rwamucyo said.
"The current crisis could have been averted had the DRC government demonstrated, a genuine commitment to peace. The DRC has all the necessary tools to achieve a lasting resolution to the ongoing conflict."
ALSO READ: M23 rebels say North Kivu governor killed
Rwamucyo, who spoke the Congolese Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner accused Rwanda of supporting M23, frustrated the Luanda and Nairobi processes, regional initiatives meant to restore peace in the region.
He noted the situation aggravated after the Congolese government dismissed dialogue with the rebels, and pursued a military solution.
"By [DR Congo's] prioritizing militarization of the conflict, instead of embracing the regional mechanisms put in place to foster a sustainable solution born out of dialogue, the conflict has continued to escalate, leading to the prevailing situation today," Rwamucyo said.
ALSO READ: Panic spreads in Goma as M23 rebels threaten to march on city
FDLR, ally of DR Congo army
The Rwandan envoy noted that the conflict was the collaboration between the Congolese army and the FDLR, a group founded by perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. According to the Rwandan government, the UN and US-sanctioned terrorist group poses an existential threat to Rwanda's security. It has launched attacks on Rwanda for more than two decades.
"For decades, the FDLR has found sanctuary in the DRC, where it recruits fighters, influences corrupt local elites, and spreads its anti-Tutsi genocide ideology in Congolese communities. This has led to ethnic cleansing and persecution of those local communities, with the result of hundreds of thousands of them now scattered as refugees in the region, and others in IDP camps," Rwamucyo said.
"Today, the FDLR has even moved from being a superlative force to a strategic ally of the Kinshasa government."
'Unprecedented threat to Rwanda'
Fighting came closer to the Rwandan border in recent days, with the sound of guns heard in Rwanda's Rubavu District, which borders Goma.
Rwamucyo said Rwanda takes regime change threats by Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi as "a very serious matter."
He said that the consolidation of the Congolese army, the FDLR, Wazalendo militias, 10,000 Burundian forces, 1,600 European mercenaries, and South Africa-led SADC forces, who operate near the two countries' border "represents an unprecedented security threat to Rwanda."
"To declare regime change on another country is a matter not to be taken lightly," said Rwamucyo. "This rhetoric, coupled with the coalition's significant military presence along Rwanda's border, is destabilizing and unacceptable."
He said the Rwandan government also was disappointed in the international community's "failure to condemn the use of foreign mercenaries in this conflict," despite the violation of the 1977 Organization of African Unity Convention and the 1989 UN Convention against the Use of Mercenaries, especially by state actors.
Rwanda's threefold concern about MONUSCO
Rwamucyo also spoke about the role of MONUSCO, the UN mission in DR Congo, in the conflict.
He noted that the UN mission was first deployed in 1994, under the acronym MONUC, with the mandate to neutralise the FDLR.
"Unfortunately, with the presence of MONUSCO in eastern DRC, the situation only aggravated since then. Second, by going beyond its mandate of peacekeeping and protecting civilians, MONUSCO has now joined a broader coalition with a clearly stated goal, which is to enact regime change in Rwanda, which is another UN member state," he said.
"We take this matter very seriously as well. Three, MONUSCO operations provide support to FDLR, a UN-sanctioned group, and to European mercenaries in violation of the 1989 UN Convention. This is unacceptable, and MONUSCO is at risk of being sucked into a conflict in which it would be a belligerent force.
"MONUSCO should focus its resources and troops to protect civilians, especially those in IDP camps, instead of fighting alongside this coalition. It is very important because it has a very clear mandate, and the mandate needs not be changed because of the risk, especially that some of these forces, the Wazalendo groups, FDLR, have committed tremendous atrocities in eastern DRC. So, an international force, to which we are all members, should not be associated with activities of such negative armed groups, which have been sanctioned."
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He noted however that Rwanda still "supports" the UN mission, except for the three concerns he outlined.
He reiterated that the conflict in eastern DR Congo was a result of "complete mismanagement" by the Congolese government of a complex problem, who root causes have been ignored.
He said the current situation mirrored the crisis of 2012 and 2013, when the M23 took control of Goma and was later defeated, with its fighters forced to flee in neighbouring countries.
"At that time, no political solution was undertaken to ensure that the issue is resolved to its root. We now stand at a critical juncture, where we need to find ways to return to the diplomatic and political processes that focus on practical solutions," Rwamucyo said.
"Rwanda is of the view that these solutions might involve additional actors, primarily based in Africa, in partnership with the international community. We are committed to the Luanda process and to dialogue, to a peaceful resolution of this issue."
