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Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- Business
- Al Jazeera
The Rwanda-DRC peace deal must include the voices of the voiceless
More than three decades after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda plunged the African Great Lakes region into unprecedented turmoil, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continue to struggle in establishing collaborative and neighbourly relations for the collective benefit of their peoples. Following the genocide, in which approximately 800,000 people were killed in just 100 days, hundreds of thousands of Rwandans – including some members of the defeated Rwandan armed forces and militias responsible for the genocide – crossed into the DRC and settled in refugee camps in the country's east, close to the Rwanda border. This became a security concern for the new government in Rwanda. The eastern DRC has not seen peace since. In 1996, the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire (AFDL), a coalition of Rwandan, Ugandan, Burundian, and some Congolese dissidents, launched a war against the government of Zaire. The AFDL, primarily a Congolese movement against the Zaire leadership but receiving significant support from the governments of Rwanda and Uganda, ousted President Mobutu Sese Seko and brought Laurent-Desire Kabila to power. However, this change in government and the brutal dismantling of Hutu refugee camps that accompanied it did not usher in meaningful intra-governmental collaboration or an end to Rwanda's security concerns. Over the subsequent decades, Rwanda's government continued to monitor the perpetual conflict in the eastern DRC, citing concerns about dissidents based there. According to United Nations reports, since 2012, this involvement has included direct support for the M23 rebel group waging an uprising against the DRC government. In January 2025, following numerous UN reports confirming Rwanda's support for M23, the DRC government severed diplomatic ties with Rwanda. Subsequently, Rwanda's development partners imposed sanctions on the country, some of its officials, and the Gasabo Gold Refinery, requesting Rwanda to halt support for M23 immediately and withdraw its troops from DRC territory. For the benefit of Rwanda, the DRC, and the entire region, the conflict in the eastern DRC and the decades-old tensions between the two neighbouring governments need to come to an end. As someone deeply invested in delivering democracy and development to all Rwandans, I have long called on the Rwandan government to engage in positive diplomacy to resolve its differences with the DRC government. Rwanda must engage in such diplomacy to overcome its structural constraints to development as a small, landlocked country with limited natural resources. If it resolves its issues with its neighbour, Rwanda could finally achieve true regional integration, participate in lucrative regional supply chains, and become a dependable partner to the wider international community. The peace deal the United States is currently attempting to broker between Rwanda and the DRC could put Kigali on the path to achieving all these gains. However, certain conditions are necessary for any peace deal between the DRC and Rwanda to be effective. As many have suggested, I agree that only a peace deal supported by a bilateral mineral cooperation incentive, guaranteed by a global power like the US – which would help control competition for natural resources – has a chance of succeeding. After all, there is little doubt that illicit trading of minerals has been used to finance the conflict in the eastern DRC. Yet this dark trade is not the fundamental cause of the conflict, and its cessation alone cannot resolve the issues between the two neighbours. The root cause of the eastern DRC conflict is, in fact, a lack of good governance and robust democracy across the African Great Lakes region. Lack of democracy, justice, and respect for human rights, coupled with social and economic exclusion, has caused Rwandans who survived the brutal dismantling of Hutu refugee camps not to return to Rwanda, and others to leave the country to seek refuge in regional states. Some Congolese have also made their way to Rwanda, escaping war, persecution and exclusion. According to the most recent figures by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, there are still more than 200,000 Rwandan refugees in the DRC and close to 83,000 Congolese refugees in Rwanda. There are more Congolese refugees in other regional states, such as Uganda, which hosts more than 600,000 of them. Some of these refugees have been enrolled in armed groups. All this has enabled power holders to abuse their authority and create chaos in the eastern DRC. While illicit trading of minerals has financed the conflict, the fundamental cause of the violence remains the lack of good governance and the inability or unwillingness of authorities to address the core concerns of refugees – the reasons why they sought refuge in either Rwanda or the DRC, and why they do not want to return to their countries of origin. The US can help address this problem and bring sustainable calm to the region by including a condition in the peace deal it is currently brokering that requires the Rwandan and Congolese governments to engage in direct dialogue with their respective opposition – both within and outside their borders – as well as with refugees, and commit to achieving good governance based on political inclusiveness, respect for human rights, and the rule of law. This would enable the voluntary and dignified return of refugees to their countries of origin and could finally put an end to the decades of chaos in the eastern DRC. Rwanda does not even need US pressure to embark on the path of positive diplomacy and dialogue, as a continuous quest for solutions through dialogue is one of the fundamental requirements of its constitution. The Rwandan opposition has already expressed its eagerness to enter into such constructive dialogue with the government. Four years ago, in June 2021, we submitted to the Rwandan government a roadmap for a promising future, officially requesting an inter-Rwandan dialogue to be organised. Similar efforts are under way in the DRC. Opposition figures in the country have recently called for an inter-Congolese dialogue to resolve internal governance issues. It is high time for Rwanda and the DRC to engage in dialogue with their respective refugees and opposition members, both within and outside their countries. This will ensure not only the long-term success of a Washington-brokered peace deal but also lead to trust-building between state officials on both sides and pave the way for true regional cooperation, which will help both nations prosper after finally achieving peace. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance.
Mail & Guardian
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Mail & Guardian
Address ethnic extremism to prevent another genocide in the Great Lakes region
A woman looks at the wall of the names of people killed in the Rwanda genocide. Photo: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images In commemoration of the 31st kwibuka, I joined 2,000 people of the Rwandese community in Uganda at the Ggolo memorial site in Mpigi District where 4,771 victims were laid to rest. Kwibuka is a Kinyarwanda word meaning 'to remember. A total of 10,983 out of about 800,000 genocide victims were laid in Uganda, with 2,875 bodies in the Kasensero memorial site in Rakai and 3,337 at Lambu site in the Greater Masaka region. Unfortunately, in remembering the 1994 Rwanda genocide kwibuka, some countries in the Great Lakes region are becoming more polarised along tribal lines. The escalating ethnic extremism undermines all our efforts towards realising an Africa that is at peace with itself through embracing unity in diversity, cohesion and co-existence. With profound sadness we recognise ethnic extremism as a key factor that sparked ethnic divisions in Rwanda. This is exacerbated when political players manipulate divisions for selfish gains. The ethnic divisions are caused by tribal provocations, intolerance and hatred leading to separatism, violence and revenge that often degenerates into civil unrest and eventually genocides. Lest we forget, similar red flags of ethnic extremism have been raised and may escalate into a genocide in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Kenya and Uganda. Ethnic divisions in the Great Lakes region are often sparked by desire for supremacy, competition for natural resources, cattle raiding, pastures, food and water. In Uganda there are ethnic divisions between Baganda and Banyankore while in Kenya it's between Kikuyu, Luo and Kalenjin, the Dinka and Nuers in South Sudan and Hutu and Tutsis in the DRC. Harvard University Press recently published details of Professor Mahmood Mamdani's book, Slow Poison, about how Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has fragmented Uganda into multiple ethnic minorities as a way of recreating a version of colonial indirect rule similar to what Belgium did in Rwanda. Subsequently, Museveni's ruthless first son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, seems to have mastered his father's strategic game of divide and rule. For example, he posted ridiculous ethnic provocations on his X account chest thumping the abduction, torture and illegal detention Bobi Wine's civilian body guard, Edward Rogers Ssebuufu ( also known as Eddy Mutwe), who belongs to the ethnic Ganda group. Museveni first son's denigration acts sparked outrage among the Ganda against the Ankore. His discrimination and provocation is dangerous. In South Sudan the ethnic extremism is on a midnight train to a genocide between the Dinka and Nuer under the watch of President Salva Kiir, who belongs to the Dinka ethnic group, and Vice-president Riek Machar of the Nuer ethnic group. Lest we forget December 2013, when Dinka South Sudan People's Defence Forces soldiers massacred 4,700 Nuer civilians in four days, this is one of many such events happening in South Sudan. Countries such as Uganda, South Sudan and the DRC must learn from the devastating 1994 genocide in Rwanda. The Rwanda genocide left not only mass deaths but also displaced people, a refugee crisis, severe trauma and economic setbacks in the Great Lakes region. The kwibuka is an opportunity for this to happen. We can't turn back the years but we have an opportunity to mitigate ethnic divisions. To do so, a holistic approach is critical. This includes reviewing international treaties and regulations against genocide, hate speech and violence. Constructing a domestic social fabric will help prevent divisions between ethnic groups spilling over into violence. This could include embracing intermarriages between tribes. Redressing the root causes of hate speech, discrimination, intolerance and land wrangles in Uganda, South Sudan, DRC and Kenya are also potential remedies. Leveraging sports as a unifying factor can strengthen cohesion, co-existence and unity in diversity. Great Lakes governments must distribute public service jobs and opportunities equally to minimise the inequalities that often lead to envy and hate speech. In Uganda, ending ethnic provocations and violence against the Baganda is crucial in combating tribal extremism. Faith-based institutions can be hubs of unity in diversity and reconciliation to bolster brotherhood, cohesion and co-existence. Music and art can be used to create more awareness and sensitisation about the dangers of tribal extremism. We need to come together as one human race to avoid another genocide. Robert Kigongo is a sustainable development analyst. X: @kigongokr7
