Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi has accused Rwandan President Paul Kagame of trying to “break apart” the country and take control of the mineral-rich eastern region, according to a speech released by his office on Sunday.
Tshisekedi addressed members of the Congolese community living in Egypt, including students, traders, workers, and military trainees and spoke at length about the worsening security and humanitarian situation in the eastern part of Congo.
He outlined previous peace initiatives between the Congolese government and Rwanda, as well as talks involving the M23 rebel group. Tshisekedi said that both countries had an opportunity in December 2024 to sign a peace agreement in Luanda, Angola, but claimed Kagame skipped the summit.
“His intentions are aggressive and expansionist. His goal is to divide our country and take control of the east, an area extremely rich in minerals and fertile land,” Tshisekedi declared.
Rwanda has not issued an immediate response to the accusations.Despite the tensions, Tshisekedi stressed that Congo is still focused on diplomacy.
“We managed to build international pressure that pushed toward sanctions against Rwanda. Since then, we’ve had two additional peace tracks, one in Doha and another in Washington,” he said.
He revealed that negotiations in Qatar between the Congolese government and rebel groups would resume this week. Once those talks are completed, Tshisekedi said he plans to meet Kagame in Washington to finalize two agreements: one between Kinshasa and M23 rebels mediated by Qatar in July, and the other between Congo and Rwanda mediated by Washington.
The United Nations, the Congolese government, and other parties have long accused Rwanda of backing M23 rebels, an allegation Kigali consistently rejects.
Just last month, Tshisekedi publicly urged Kagame to help reduce tensions, support peace, and stop violence by telling M23 fighters to halt their offensive. He made the comments during the Global Gateway Forum held by the EU in Brussels.
Rwanda’s Foreign Minister, Olivier Nduhungirehe, dismissed Tshisekedi’s statements, calling them “political theatrics that have become ridiculous.”
Although Congo and a coalition of rebel groups that includes M23 signed a Declaration of Principles ceasefire deal in July in Doha, heavy clashes continue between the rebels and government troops, with both sides blaming each other for breaking the agreement.
