Stephanie Nyombayire, the Presidential Press Secretary, has criticized the Congolese government for what she described as entrenched genocide denial within the country's political establishment.
Nyombayire issued the call through her official X handle (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, April 1.
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Her message comes a week before Rwanda commences activities to mark the 31st commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, where more than a million people were killed in a carefully planned massacre that lasted 100 days.
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"DRC has made clear what we knew all along: genocide denial is deeply rooted in DRC politics," she said.
https://x.com/PressSecRwanda/status/1907039606718996633
According to Nyombayire, Congolese leaders have not only dismissed the reality of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi but also fabricated narratives to deflect from the country's governance failures.
She added that the country's leaders who have long been preoccupied with looting national resources rather than governing effectively, have now resorted to "inventing a genocide".
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"DRC has traded in threats of 'à la moindre escarmouche' for a new low: inventing a genocide to cover up the truth of their failures. The deaths that occurred and are still occurring today are the result of the inability to govern, look beyond personal interest, and protect citizens."
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Nyombayire also called out the Kinshasa regime for integrating FDLR-- a terrorist group formed by remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 genocide--into its army, all while invoking the Genocide Convention for political ease.
"The very nation that integrated FDLR, actual genocidaires, into their army, is now conveniently invoking the Genocide Convention. All while currently denying the rights of its own citizens, beating, killing, and burning them on the streets of Kinshasa because of what they look like," Nyombayire said, referring to the latest conflict in eastern DR Congo.
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She highlighted ongoing human rights abuses in DR Congo, particularly the persecution of the country's own citizens based on ethnicity.
This is yet another attempt by the Congolese government to abdicate its responsibility, turn victims into perpetrators, and to distract from the real work of finding a durable solution, she said.
"The shamelessness knows no bounds," she added.
