Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe has delivered a blistering rebuke to the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), accusing Kinshasa of shedding tears in Geneva over “imaginary genocides” while actively supporting militias responsible for atrocities against Congolese Tutsi.
“The government of Kinshasa has, on several occasions, reaffirmed its unwavering support for this genocidal militia VDP Wazalendo, which persecutes, lynches, and burns alive FARDC Tutsi officers, sets entire villages of Congolese Tutsi ablaze, and arms children to ‘kill the Banyarwanda,’” Nduhungirehe said.
“But this does not prevent the same government, which already supports the 1994 Rwandan génocidaires—the FDLR—from going to the Human Rights Council to weep about imaginary genocides.”
His remarks followed comments by Congolese politician and former minister Olivier Kamitatu, who denounced the ultimatums of certain Wazalendo warlords calling for the exclusion of Tutsi.
Kamitatu described such rhetoric as an “unacceptable ideology of hatred” that risks paving the way for new massacres in eastern Congo.
Kamitatu further warned that the region is again haunted by the specter of genocide if authorities fail to act. He urged inclusive dialogue, led by spiritual leaders such as the Catholic bishops of CENCO, as the only path to genuine reconciliation.
While Congo’s leaders and opposition figures debate hate speech and reconciliation, Rwanda insists that Kinshasa itself is directly complicit in fueling the cycle of ethnic violence by empowering groups like the FDLR and Wazalendo.