Reiterating Rwanda’s stance, Kagame dismissed claims that the M23 rebels, repeatedly raised by Kinshasa government as backed by Kigali, is an internal problem for DR Congo to address, President Paul Kagame said during the swearing in of newly appointed Ministers of Health in Kigali on Wednesday, November 30
“M23 is not our problem, at some point we allowed to accommodate them in our camps as part of the process to resolve this issue, on the request of President of DR Congo, but the last time I was last informed is that DR Congo officials requested that they travel to the country for talks, never got to know what transpired,” he said.
Before they were transferred to the camps as part of the repatriation roadmap, Kagame said, the rebels were disarmed and the equipment given back to DRC officials.
This is an addition to over 80,000 Congolese refugees in Rwanda.
“But why do you think this problem has been there for the past nearly 30 years, because it is a complicated problem to resolve?” Kagame questioned.
“I am beginning to believe something I have never believed. It has been so many years that I can’t help but start believing it. Actually somebody, somewhere wishes this problem to be there forever. Because around it so many things are played.”
DRC has been accusing Rwanda of backing M23 rebels. The latter vehemently denies these accusations while citing Kinshasa is lying under the same bed with FDLR. Kinshasa too downplays these allergations.
