President Paul Kagame has stressed the need for political will to address the root cause of instability in eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) because the current situation is not different from what happened 20 years ago.

Kagame was delivering remarks at the 77th United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday 21st September 2022.

The President of DRC, Felix Tshisekedi who also attended the assembly accused Rwanda of being behind M23 rebel group which is pointed out as the main security threat in the country despite the presence of more than 130 armed groups.

President Kagame said that the world is in a state of turbulence, with intersecting crises growing in scale and severity, including climate change, food price inflation, conflict, and uncontrolled migration.

“These challenges all require multilateral cooperation and efforts. Yet the perception, that the international system is no longer up to the task, has only deepened, particularly where the interests of powerful members are at stake,” he said.

The Head of State also talked about security problems in eastern DRC highlighting that the current situation is not different from what happened 20 years ago when the largest and most expensive United Nations peacekeeping mission was first deployed.

“This has exposed neighbouring states, notably Rwanda, to cross-border attacks that are entirely preventable. There is an urgent need to find the political will to finally address the root causes of instability in eastern DRC. The blame game does not solve the problems. These challenges are not insurmountable, and solutions can be found. This would ultimately be much less costly in terms of both money and human lives,” he said.

As regional troops resolved to deploy troops to fight armed groups in DRC, Tanzania refused to send its troops. Meanwhile, DRC boycotted Rwandan troops from participating in joint regional operations.

Speaking at UN General Assembly, Kagame also pointed out examples demonstrating how cooperation can help countries address problems facing them.

In the area of peacebuilding and counterterrorism, the President underscored that regional initiatives can complement the important work of the United Nations.

Kagame pointed out examples where regional or bilateral initiatives have been proven to make a big difference, whether in the Central African Republic, or the successful engagement to contain violent extremism in northern Mozambique conducted by Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community.

“If this approach was tried properly in DRC, as proposed by the Nairobi Process, it would make a difference. However, to be sustainable, such efforts require consistent financial support from the international community. A lot is at stake, and time is not on our side,” he affirmed.

“We cannot anticipate or prevent every crisis. But we can be better prepared to react quickly and effectively when needed, especially if we work together,” he added.

AE News