On March 4th, 2024, the AU Peace and Security Council held a meeting to discuss support for SAMIDRC and how to assist the mission with resources from the African community and other partners.

Dr. Vincent Biruta, Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, wrote a letter to the AU on March 3rd, 2024, conveying Rwanda’s concerns despite not being invited to the meeting.

Minister Biruta informed the AU Commission that the integration of SAMIDRC forces with the military coalition fighting for the DRC government poses a security threat to Rwanda.

He highlighted that this coalition includes groups tainted by genocide ideology such as FDLR, Wazalendo, Burundian forces, European mercenaries, and private military contractors, including one associated with the former ’Blackwater’, as reported by a United Nations expert panel in December 2023.

Biruta argued that SAMIDRC, by conducting operations within this coalition, cannot replace political dialogue obstructed by the DRC government. Thus, he urged the African Union to neither recognize nor support SAMIDRC.

He reminded the AU Commission of the conflict’s history since July 1994, when former government officials involved in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and Interahamwe fled to then Zaire (now DRC), where they were armed and regrouped, forming FDLR with intentions to destabilize Rwanda, continuing to spread genocide ideology in the DRC.

Biruta pointed out that this ideology led to atrocities against Congolese Tutsis, resulting in killings and hundreds of thousands fleeing to Rwanda and other regional countries.

He expressed that the DRC government has consistently rejected dialogue as a solution, opting for military action instead, including expelling East African Community (EAC) forces that were sent to cease hostilities.

Furthermore, Biruta revealed a hostile intent by FDLR, DRC President Félix Tshisekedi, and Burundi’s Evariste Ndayishimiye to overthrow the Rwandan government, citing their public declarations and cooperation in the ongoing conflict in the DRC, which also involved collaboration with the armed group CNRD-FLN.

He lamented the international community’s neglect of the root causes of the conflict, including support for groups spreading genocide ideology, failure to address the grievances of Congolese Tutsis by the DRC government, and reluctance to repatriate its citizens who sought refuge in the region, including over 100,000 in Rwanda.

Biruta warned that assistance to SAMIDRC from the AU and partners could escalate the conflict and support the DRC government’s refusal to resolve the conflict through peaceful dialogue.

He urged the AU Commission’s Chairperson to exercise his authority to press the DRC government towards peace talks, following the Nairobi and Luanda dialogues.

Finally, Biruta called on the AU Peace and Security Council members to visit the Great Lakes region to witness the reality on the ground and ensure they are informed of the true nature of the conflict, assuring the AU Commission’s President of Rwanda’s readiness to contribute towards finding a solution.

Dr. Vincent Biruta, Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, wrote a letter to the AU on March 3rd, 2024, conveying Rwanda’s concerns despite not being invited to the meeting.