Rwanda: FDLR Militias Threaten to Remain Armed
A rebel group of The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda said that they will not surrender even when the deadline to disarm and peacefully repatriate is only a few months away.
The deadline will expire at the end of January next year 2015.
In a recent letter addressed to President Mugabe, the rebels stated the current peace process is compromised and they no longer trust the UN forces operating in the Congo- Monusco, the Kigali government and that of DR Congo; but the FDLR leadership was not clear on how the agreement was compromised
Rwanda has repeatedly warned that the presence of armed FDLR militia in the Congo compromises the peace and security progress in Rwanda and the region at large.
The second mini-summit of Heads of State and Government, the ‘International Conference of the Great Lakes Region’ (ICGLR); held in Angola capital Luanda on august 14,2014, gave the rebels a window for voluntary disarmament before military action can be considered.
Rwanda’s Foreign Affairs Minister Louise Mushikiwabo has previously said that action against Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) militia is long overdue and extending the surrender deadline would be a delay.
Head of Monusco, Martin Kobler, earlier this week said that the UN force is ready to take action, but has to respect the ICGLR resolutions
The rebels are accused of committing atrocities in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.