President Paul Kagame used the swearing-in ceremony of newly appointed leaders on Thursday to deliver one of his clearest and most candid rebukes of attempts to blame Rwanda for the spiraling conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
While welcoming the new officials into office, he also reflected on the weight of regional instability, persistent misinformation, and pressure he says Rwanda continues to endure since signing the Washington D.C. accords.
The President said Rwanda has remained steadfast in its pursuit of peace, even as some actors have tried to distort facts surrounding the December 4 Washington D.C. agreement.
“Rwanda signed the agreement willingly, accepted it, and will fulfill its responsibilities so that, if others also meet theirs, we can achieve peace,” he said, emphasizing that peace is only possible when all parties commit to it honestly and consistently.
Kagame described a wave of scrutiny that intensified immediately after the signing, particularly as fighting continued in eastern DRC and the AFC/M23 later seized Uvira.
Critics used these developments to revive allegations that Rwanda supports the rebels, claims Kigali has long dismissed. He insisted that hostilities did not begin after the signing as some suggest.
“I’ve seen claims written as though we signed, came back home, and then war started. That is false,” he said, noting that clashes were already ongoing even before officials departed for the U.S.
He said Rwanda has continued to face an onslaught of accusations, some of them elevated by powerful voices who overlook the region’s complex realities.
Kagame noted that some of his interlocutors attempted to imply that Rwanda should not worry about regional threats because the country is supposedly strong enough to absorb them. He rejected this reasoning outright.
“Some people told us, ‘You know, Rwanda is strong.’ Meaning we should simply sit back and let those who attack us continue. I told them in my understanding of politics and history, that logic makes no sense.”
Kagame added that the idea that Rwanda is exceptionally powerful is exaggerated. “The strength we have is limited, it is even overstated. Our resilience comes from our will to defend ourselves from enemies, not because we are some superpower.”
He added that burdening Rwanda with the responsibility to solve a crisis it did not create is unreasonable and detached from the region’s realities. The President said some of the pressure has been relentless.
“The intimidation, the warnings, every day we hear threats that Rwanda will be taken, erased, finished. I barely sleep; they call me constantly. Night falls in one place and dawn breaks in another, I keep getting calls.”
He described this climate as one shaped by misinformation, political agendas, and an unwillingness by some actors to confront the root causes of instability within the DRC itself.
He warned against narratives that portray Rwanda as both the cause and the solution to the crisis. “Two parties signed the agreement, yet one is expected to carry all the burden. Anyone reasoning fairly would not put all responsibility on one side, even if you falsely accuse them,” he said.
“Above all, we want peace. We seek peace and we will work for it. But whoever wants peace must also prepare for what is not peace.” He reiterated that Rwanda will defend itself when necessary but remains firmly committed to the diplomatic process.
As the newly sworn-in leaders begin their duties, Kagame urged them to understand the gravity of their roles in a country navigating both internal priorities and a turbulent regional environment.
