The Senior Defence and Security Advisor in the Office of the President, Gen James Kabarebe has said that Rwanda can’t be drawn into war by provocations of Congolese citizens and politicians speaking ill of the country and staging protests because it would look like a fight with a mad person.

Gen Kabarebe makes the disclosure at a time when Congolese Army (FARDC) in collaboration with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) continues to lose their bases an ongoing fighting with M23 rebel group.

The defeat has seen Congolese citizens and politicians externalizing the country’s problems and accuse Rwanda of supporting the rebel group, a claim which the latter has repeatedly rejected.

The accusations were followed by protests against Rwanda where Congolese continue to speak ill of the neighbouring country instead of exerting pressure on the national army to quell rebels.

M23 resumed fighting early this year requesting DRC to implement signed peace accords to give leadership positions to members of the group as a gesture to put an end to discrimination against Kinyarwanda-speaking people in the country.

DRC failed to respect the peace accords signed in 2013, labeled M23 as a terrorist group and refrained from engaging in talks with the rebel group.

Congolese Army is gradually losing different bases to M23 which continues to advance towards Goma town after captured strategic areas including Bunagana, Rutsuru and Rumangabo among others.

On the other hand, Congolese continue to accuse Rwanda of being behind M23 and call for a war with Rwanda.

The Spokesperson of DRC recently told the media that ‘Rwanda made a wrong choice because the war it waged against our country will backfire’.

No need to fight DR Congo

Gen Kabarebe has said that provocations and accusations of DRC are nonsense because Rwanda’s borders with the country are safeguarded.

“There are many people declaring war against Rwanda but do not do it. When that person becomes talkative the whole day, you listen and wait for actions. That is nonsense,” he said.

Gen Kabarebe was responding to a question raised by one of participants of talks that brought together youth volunteers and students from the College of Science and Technology at the University of Rwanda (UR-CST) in the evening of 2nd November 2022.

“Rwanda can’t be drawn into war because Congolese go mad, throw stones at border or speak ill of it. We fight strategic wars, not wars of provocation [...] you don’t fight a mad person […] you ignore him/her but set a red line," he said.

Gen Kabarebe further revealed that Rwanda can’t be dragged into war by simple provocations.

“Rwanda fights strategic wars to protect its interests. It can’t be involved in provocations and reprisals over nonsense,” he noted.

The Government of Rwanda recently announced that it is closely monitoring the situation in DRC where security forces at the border are on alert.

AE News