Kigali, 4 February 2025 – Minister Olivier J.P. Nduhungirehe hosted the first diplomatic briefing of 2025, with a focus on the current situation in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Here is a readout of what he said:

• Minister Nduhungirehe started off by expanding on the situation in Eastern DRC and the recent attacks on the border town of Rubavu. These deliberate attacks caused the tragic loss of 16 Rwandan lives and the injury of 161 civilians. He strongly condemned international silence in the face of such atrocities.
• He recalled that Rwanda has upheld its humanitarian obligations, welcoming thousands of refugees, including FARDC soldiers, FDLR elements, and militias, all treated in accordance with international law. Rwanda also facilitated the evacuation of MONUSCO personnel, other UN officials, and their dependents, as well as members of the ICGLR’s Verification Mechanism, and repatriated 288 European mercenaries who were unlawfully recruited to fight in the Eastern DRC;
• He recalled that the resurgence of the M23 in 2021 was followed by a significant increase in hate speech and violent hate crimes against Congolese Tutsi in Eastern DRC. This surge in violence has been fuelled by top DRC officials, civil society, the Congolese diaspora, and the media;
• Considering past failures to bring about peace in this region, Rwanda proposed direct talks between the DRC Government and the M23 to address the root causes of the crisis with a view to resolving it once and for all.
• However, a military coalition against Rwanda is currently deployed in Eastern DRC. It comprises the Congolese Army, the FDLR genocidal militia, Burundian forces, SAMIDRC, European mercenaries, and ethnic militias, all supported by MONUSCO.
• Recent information coming from Goma on what has been discovered and the documentary evidence of attack preparations, planned together with the foreign forces fighting in eastern DRC, including the FDLR, indicate that combat objectives were not limited to defeating the M23, but also attacking Rwanda.
• Minister Nduhungirehe stressed that “Rwanda will not wait for the threat to materialize; this is why we will maintain defensive measures at the border to prevent any spillover and respond appropriately. These measures shall be maintained so long as the threat posed by this coalition continues to exist.”

In closing, he reiterated that Rwanda is committed to peace and a political solution to the conflict. However, in order for any peace to hold, it must include: 

• The neutralization of the FDLR;
• The withdrawal of all foreign forces;
• Direct talks between the Government of the DRC and the M23;
• Long-term security guarantees at Rwanda's border with DRC.

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