Twenty years after the Rwandan genocide, some armed groups the Kigali government accuses of being responsible for the genocide against Tutsis  have been in the jungles of  the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, where they are accused by human rights groups of  terrorizing the local population and profiting from the area’s rich natural resources.

The International pressure on Rwanda made a significant difference on all the armed groups in the Eastern democratic Republic of Congo and especially those who were commanded by the remote control from Kigali. Therefore the announcement by the FDLR Rwandan armed group that has laid down its weapons does not come as a surprise because the intervention brigade that helped to defeat the Rwandan backed rebels M23 was under the same mandate to disarm the FDLR.

Indeed, the Rwandan government has been invading its neighbor on the pretext of fighting the FDLR they accuse of masterminding the Rwandan genocide in 1994. But the dilemma for the Rwandan government has been that, many in the ranks of FDLR are so young to have committed the Rwandan genocide; this has significantly eroded most of their lobby and support from their former backers in the western capitals.

The United Nations, which has a significant number of peacekeeping troops in the Eastern DRC, with an an estimated number of 3,000 troops known as intervention brigade, with an aggressive new mandate has forced the FDLR to disarm or face the military action which ended the life of M23.

The question is whether the FDLR will lay down all their weapons or are just buying time and playing with the international community? Like wise will the Rwandan government accept the disbarment, because the driving force behind the Congo invasion was also economics?

Paradoxically, the Rwandan government has been giving mixed reactions, on one occasion they said the FDLR was weak that it cannot attack Rwanda, however, faced with economic interests from Congo like Timber, minerals and other economic interests they say that FDLR is still a threat to the Rwandan security.

As President Kagame is increasingly isolated; he cannot now travel to any European Capital without demonstrations by many Rwandans who accuse him of not only being a dictator but also a murderer who has not even spared his comrades and friends. On the regional front Kagame has threatened to kill the Tanzanian head of State at the right time and place, this has not only affected the Tanzania, Rwanda relationship but has affected many projects in the East African Community block.

As already mentioned above, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) has long been one of the most significant armed groups active in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where it has been based ever since its founders fled neighbouring Rwanda after many of its members played a key role in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis. Equally the Human Rights groups have accused the Rwandan government of atrocities and crimes against humanity, and surprisingly the Rwandan government has welcomed many FDLR in their ranks.

Therefore the question is why now the Rwandan government argues that it cannot negotiate with them?

Over the years, thousands of FDLR members and their dependants have surrendered to the UN mission in DRC (MONUSCO), and returned to Rwanda. Among the prominent is the current head of the Prisons Gen. Rwarakabije who is accused for not only committing crimes in the Rwandan genocide but also atrocities in the Congo and many killings in Rwanda when he ordered infiltrations (infiltrators) known as ABACENGEZI. Indeed, if there is FDLR, no one is more FDLR than Gen. Rwarakabije. The International community and the regional blocks SADC and East African Community should therefore put more pressure on Kagame to sit down not only with FDLR but with all the Rwandan opposition to seek for a lasting and sustainable solution for the Rwandan politics.

The African problem is overstaying in power and failure to handover power peacefully. Indeed, with little hope for the population, corruption, sectarianism, patronage, and other abuses of power, the population especially the youth remain with only one option to remove their governments from power by arms. Some African leaders think there the only human bearings with the vision to lead even when they were accidentally picked to lead by circumstances. To make the point clear on how Kagame will cling on power in the recent African Development Bank meeting in Kigali, he argued that greedy and bad politics force leaders to abuse power “Leaders made people believe that they were the majority and the others should be killed. They made people who had nothing believe that they, too, were Hutu power when in fact they had none,” Kagame said.

Unfortunately, he is using the same tactics to remain in power; he recently used what he calls INTORE, (the chosen one) to label all the Hutus criminals and to him they should all apologize for the crimes of those Hutus who committed genocide. This is not only immoral but also illegal under the Rwandan constitution. The former Rwandan Premier Bernard Makuza is assumed to be in custody for what Kagame calls crimes committed by his father, according to Kagame, Bernard Makuza should go on the radio and apologize!

On the topic of succession, President Kagame had no kind words and for some of us, his revelations were just a hammer on the head of the nail.

“People have reduced the issue of succession to an end in itself. People can come do nothing and as long they are succeeded then it’s okay. But it’s not just about succession, it’s about what you leave behind,” he said. This is not only a reminder to those who thought that the man will leave power after the end of his term in 2017, but a vindication that he will not leave the power by a ballot box. Therefore, the FDLR should be prepared to use a stick and a carrot if they are to get meaningful negotiations with Kagame

Jacqueline Umurungi