Silence Charumbira
Rwandan lawmakers this week adopted a sweeping resolution in response to the protracted insecurity in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the European Parliament’s Resolution (2025/2553 (RSP)) of 13 February 2025. While the text pulls no punches in critiquing what it sees as one-sided narratives from the European Parliament, it also underscores Rwanda’s genuine security fears and its willingness to engage constructively with regional and international stakeholders.
Colonial-Era Legacies and Present-Day Governance Challenges
The resolution outlines how colonial-era boundaries, cemented by the Berlin Conference (1884–1885) and the Brussels Convention (1910), carved the eastern DRC into a mosaic of ethnic communities with complex loyalties. Many Kinyarwanda-speaking people found themselves inside Congolese territory—a legacy often overlooked in short-term analyses of the region’s strife.
This historical perspective dovetails with Kigali’s long-standing argument: the DRC’s modern-day woes are not merely a byproduct of foreign interference but deep-seated governance failures that have allowed over 250 armed groups to proliferate. Rwandan legislators specifically highlight the FDLR (Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda)—formed by perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi—as the most egregious of these militias.
For global observers, this underscores a vital truth: poor governance, unaddressed grievances, and chronic violence do not merely harm local populations—they raise compliance risks and disrupt regional supply chains.
Rwanda’s Legitimate Security Concerns
While Rwanda’s stance on cross-border security can sometimes appear uncompromising, the repeated shelling incidents and ongoing threats from armed militias—some of which openly call for “regime change” in Kigali, event when it’s none of their business—cast a different light on its defensive measures. Local and international reports of attacks in Rubavu (26 January 2025) and Kinigi (1 October 2019) have claimed dozens of civilian lives, propelling Kigali to amplify its calls for accountability in the DRC’s security apparatus.
From a diplomatic vantage point, it is crucial to understand that sympathy toward Rwanda’s security concerns needs not to conflict with advocating peace. Indeed, Rwanda’s post-1994 recovery and reconciliation model are often lauded by international development agencies for blending firm security policies with extensive social reforms. Observers argue that, while Kigali’s tone in this resolution is undeniably pointed, it also reflects a tangible vulnerability in a region where armed proxies can cross over with impunity.
Addressing the European parliament statement
The second half of Rwanda’s resolution tackles head-on the European Parliament’s statement from earlier this month, faulting it for what Kigali describes as “selective outrage”. Specifically, Rwanda’s legislators contend that:
- The FDLR’s threat is underplayed or omitted, leading to an incomplete understanding of eastern DRC’s violence. By all intents and purposes, it is a piece meal statement which ends up doing more harm than good.
- Persecution of Congolese Tutsi, including documented hate speech and mob violence sponsored by the Kinshasa government, receives scant attention at the EU level.
- Selective outrage on M23 fails to acknowledge the deeper catalysts behind its emergence, namely, longstanding political grievances and unimplemented peace accords that originally gave rise to the movement. There is need to accurately contextualise the rebel situation in the DRC. M23 is just one of over 250 groups but it is targeted because of its Tutsi composition. That M23 is a DRC rebel group is not up for debate. Subtle as it is, Kigali is cautious of such destructive propaganda because of its own history of the genocide against the Tutsi. It is a common phenomenon that whenever a group of people is targeted, the aggressor first gives them an identity that makes them distinctly stand out. Rwandans are cautious about this because just 31 years ago, a million people were killed simply because they were Tutsi. Sadly, this is the same experience that Congolese Tutsis are fighting to avoid.
- Decries the DRC Government’s reliance on mercenaries from EU Member States, a direct breach of the 1977 OAU Convention and the 1989 UN Convention banning mercenaries, and calls on the international community to condemn such violations.
Balancing critique with a constructive path forward
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Despite criticizing what they see as the European Parliament’s one-sided approach, Rwandan lawmakers have not closed the door on dialogue. Their resolution:
- Reaffirms its support for resolving the security crisis in eastern DRC through direct dialogue among all belligerents, including the M23, in keeping with the commitments made at the joint EAC-SADC Summit held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on 8 February 2025, and subsequently endorsed by the African Union on 15 February 2025.
- Urges the international community, particularly the European Union (noting that some EU Member States continue to harbor Rwandan genocide fugitives), to play an active role in combating genocide ideology in all its manifestations.
- Reaffirms that every sovereign nation has the fundamental right to safeguard its territorial integrity and protect its population.
- Calls on all states, as well as regional and international bodies, to avoid one-sided narratives, such as the approach taken by the European Parliament, and instead encourage meaningful dialogue among all warring parties in eastern DRC, fostering lasting peace in the Great Lakes region for governments and NGOs, Rwanda’s resolution underscores the necessity of fact-based, nuanced policymaking in a region rife with complexities. An oversimplified approach can easily lead to misguided interventions or ill-informed legislative measures that do little to address the actual drivers of conflict.
Pragmatism with a dose of empathy
Rwanda’s parliamentary resolution reads as a stern caution against oversimplifying the crisis in eastern DRC. It also, however, reflects a government acutely aware of its own vulnerabilities—a “measured sympathy” that acknowledges the genuine hardships in DRC while underscoring the severe threat genocidal militias pose to Rwanda’s security.
If policymakers and commercial actors look beyond competing narratives and act on the resolution’s call for greater accountability, the Great Lakes region might well pivot from a perennial flashpoint to an emerging corridor of stability and economic promise.
Silence Charumbira is an international journalist based in Maseru, Lesotho. He has worked with multiple reputable organisations like The Guardian, CNN and the Associated Press (AP) among others. He writes on diverse topics including China-Africa relations. Views expressed in this article are his own and do not necessarily represent those of the publication.
