DECLARATION BY THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND COOPERATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF RWANDA ON THE SITUATION IN THE EASTERN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO AND EFFORTS TO SOLVE THE CONFLICT

The government of the Republic of Rwanda at various for has expressed concern over the situation of renewed war and conflict that erupted in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo since 28 August 2008 to date. The humanitarian situation that has reached unacceptable proportions requires the urgent attention of the international community and humanitarian organizations.

The government of The Republic of Rwanda continues to urge the government of Democratic Republic of Congo and CNDP to ceasefire; allow unhindered access to the suffering of displaced persons and enable the humanitarian organizations to provide the badly needed food, water, medication and shelter. Humanitarian corridors and access to free movement of people and goods is vital to end the suffering of the population.
In Rwanda’s view, the declaration of a ceasefire by both parties and a disengagement plan is vital so that a conducive atmosphere is created to enable a process to have both parties return to a political process which is the viable and long lasting solution to problems of the people of the Kivus. It has always been Rwanda’s position that the problems of CNDP are political in nature and require a political solution. Military offensives in the past by the government of DRC against CNDP have only complicated the situation and there is no guarantee that it will be a viable solution this time round. Failure by the government of DRC to expeditiously implement a political solution has only bolstered the CNDP, which after gaining military victory against the government forces (FARDC) raises its political demands.
The main root causes of the conflict in the Eastern.DRC are the genocide forces of Ex-FAR/Interahamwe which were welcomed in the  DRC by the then Mobutu regime and the international community. These forces did not only manage to reorganize politically and militarily in the refugee camps, but they also managed to destabilize Rwanda. They have for 14 years continued to brutally harm not only the population of the DRC and Rwanda, but also those of Burundi, Uganda and members of the international community traveling in those countries. The insecurity caused by Ex-FAR/Interhamwe was behind the two Congo wars.
There have been several agreements to solve the issue of Ex-FAR/Interahamwe. These include the Lusaka Agreement of 1999; Pretoria Agreement of 2002; the Tripartite Plus Mechanism of 2004; the Abuja Declaration of 2004; the Nairobi Communiqué of November 9, 2007; and several UN Resolutions. These agreements have not been implemented partly because of lack of political will and military capability by government of the DRC on one hand and the divergent interests and nature of the international community. Failure to implement one agreement has always led to another escalation of conflict, leading to another round of negotiation and diplomatic intervention and thus a new agreement.
The recent diplomatic attempt to address the insecurity in the eastern DRC, especially the bilateral meetings between DRC and Rwanda; and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Heads of State Summit held in Nairobi on 7  November 2008, have indicated that reference should be made toward the various agreements in solving the insecurity in Eastern DRC. The Kigali meeting of 14-15 November between the delegations of DRC and Rwanda resolved that the root cause of the conflict is the Ex-FAR/Interahamwe and the two countries were going to cooperate in a military strategy to root them out. They agreed that the issue of CNDP is an internal DRC problem and the parties were in a political process to solve it. These political processes should be supported.

The government of the Republic of Rwanda is committed to working together with the Republic of Democratic Republic of Congo and the region toward a long lasting solution to the insecurity in the Eastern DRC that has been a perpetual cause of suffering to our people and underdevelopment of our region.

We call upon the international community and the region to support this endeavor and avoid a narrow and simplistic approach to the problems that may only escalate the conflict. It is unfortunate for any country or organization to insinuate or by innuendoes that there are neighboring countries destabilizing DRC, as this  will divert us all from the real internal problems of the DRC, which in themselves require attending too. A realistic and genuine analysis of the problem is the only way forward to help DRC get out of the problems they are in and ensure security to her neighbors.