Rwanda’s ambassador to the United Nations, Claver Gatete condemned the silence of the UN Security Council on the long-standing alliance of the DR Congo government with what he called a false narrative about the conflict in the east of the country.
“When is the international community going to address the persistence of the FDLR and the alliance between the DR Congo army, FARDC, and deadly armed groups, including the FDLR, a sanctioned genocidal terrorist group made up of remnants of the force that committed the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda?” the Rwandan envoy questioned.
The Rwandan envoy was speaking Friday while addressing a special session of the UN Security Council following the briefing of the Special Representative the Secretary General, Bintou Keita, on the situation in the DR Congo.
“Although we agree with the Secretary-General’s report that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DR Congo should be respected; questions remain unanswered. When will we address the violations of Rwanda’s sovereignty and territorial integrity by the DR Congo, which occurred on several occasions as verified by the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism?” Gatete asked.
During the session, Congolese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Christophe Lutundula Apala, did not immediately react to claims of an alliance with FDLR despite several reports by international bodies pointing to this.
He however later intervened after Gatete’s remarks saying that there is “there is no sign of FDLR existence in the DR Congo.”
The latest report of the UN Group of experts released on December 9, details a meeting held in May this year in a place called Pinga by FARDC top leadership with several armed groups including the FDLR to forge and renew their alliance.
FDLR’s Col Silencieux, and Col Potifaro attended the meeting which was coordinated by FARDC’s Col Salomon Tokolanga along with several representatives of different armed groups.
The Pinga meeting reportedly promised FARDC to mobilise, recruit and reinforce the DR Congo national army with fighters to combat M23.
Tokolonga oversees operations and military intelligence of the FARDC’s 3411th regiment.
The meeting was also confirmed in the October report by the Human Rights Watch which also indicated that Congolese officers from Tokolonga’s 3411th regiment provided more than a dozen boxes of ammunition to FDLR fighters in Kazaroho, one of their strongholds in the Virunga National Park, on July 21.
Meanwhile during the meeting, Gatete took stock of different mechanisms in place to restore normalcy in DR Congo, but also condemned external influence that shields DR Congo from accountability for its actions.
“A military solution alone cannot resolve the root causes of the security crisis in eastern DRC and the Great Lakes Region. The regional Luanda and Nairobi mechanisms are essential processes that need shared commitment and political will to be fully implemented,” said Gatete.
He added that Rwanda remains committed and fully supports the ongoing regional peace processes and has expectations that they will finally address the root causes and drivers of the endemic crisis in DR Congo, which impact its neighbours, including Rwanda.
“Rwanda believes that the quest for long-lasting peace in the DRC cannot be achieved by spreading a false narrative, which exacerbates the problem and puts lives at risk” Gatete said.
CU/as/APA