PRESS RELEASE
The Rwandan Opposition Platform P4 welcomes the unanimous adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2773, which acknowledges the involvement of the Rwandan Defense Forces (RDF) in the destabilization of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), calls on Rwanda to stop supporting the M23 and on the RDF to immediately withdraw from the territory of the DRC without any preconditions. This resolution is a major step forward in the search for peace in the Great Lakes region.
We reiterate our condemnation of the aggression of the DRC by the Rwandan army and its proxy armed group M23, sowing death and desolation among the brotherly Congolese people. We present our most saddened condolences to those who have lost their loved ones and stand in solidarity with those who live in misery inflicted by this war.
However, the unfolding of events since the adoption of Resolution 2773 by the UN Security Council has shown once again that Kigali regime ignores statements which are not backed by coercive means. The statement made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Rwanda, Mr. Olivier Nduhungirehe, during an interview with journalists from RTS “Radio Télévision Suisse” on February 25, 2025, and the press release of the “Consultative Forum of Political Organizations” signed on the same date demonstrate clearly that the Rwandan government is not ready to abandon its belligerent policy.
In the said interview, Minister Nduhungirehe reaffirmed the dangerous defense doctrine of the Kigali regime which consists of conducting preventive military attacks against its real or presumed enemy, outside Rwandan territory, which he defines as “taking defensive measures.” In the same vein, in its press release, the “Consultative Forum of Political Organizations”, composed of the ruling RPF party and nine other political parties that it controls, declared that “they support the defensive measures of the Rwandan government taken to protect the security of the country”. In other words, the Forum approves the violation of the territorial integrity of the DRC and the maintenance of Rwandan troops in the DRC.
In view of the stand of the Rwandan government, the P4 Platform calls on the UN Security Council to impose firm sanctions against the Kigali regime, in particular:
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A total embargo on arms sales to Rwanda, including the suspension of military assistance programs and security cooperation.
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Targeted economic sanctions against companies and individuals involved in the illegal exploitation of Congolese resources, in particular companies linked to the Kigali regime.
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Asset freezes and travel bans for senior officials of the Rwandan regime involved in the destabilization of the DRC.
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Exclusion of the Rwandan Defense Forces from UN peacekeeping missions
Democratization of Rwanda is essential for regional stability
The P4 Platform is convinced that it will not be possible to find a lasting solution to the problem of insecurity in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo and in the sub-region without tackling its root causes which are in Rwanda, namely the closure of the political space and the serious violations of human rights which prevent the return of refugees and encourage those who want to resort to force to claim their rights.
The P4 Platform has repeatedly called on the Kigali regime to sit down with its entire political opposition to find solutions to the problems that have been plaguing Rwanda and the entire Great Lakes region for a very long time. Sadly, these multiple requests have been met with a refusal. We believe that it is urgent for the international community to intervene and force the Kigali regime to undertake a dialogue with its political opposition under the auspices of neutral mediation.
The inter-Rwandan dialogue should aim to establish a peaceful political transition that includes institutional reforms that guarantee political freedoms, an end to the persecution of critics and creates a conducive environment for a safe return of Rwandan refugees. It is within such a framework that the issue of the FDLR and other Rwandan armed groups can also be definitively resolved.
The P4 platform reaffirms its position: as long as Rwanda remains a military dictatorship, peace in the DRC and in the entire Great Lakes region will remain an illusion. Regional stability depends on the democratization of Rwanda.
Done in Montreal, March 4, 2025
Dr. Emmanuel Hakizimana
Coordinator of the Rwandan Opposition Platform P4