One of the reasons for Minister Lammy’s visit is to discuss with members of the Rwandan government the security concerns in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Olivier Nduhungirehe, informed IGIHE that Lammy will arrive in Rwanda in the late afternoon of Saturday.

The governments of both countries have differing views on this issue, as the UK accuses Rwanda of sending troops to eastern DRC illegally, while Rwanda asserts that this allegation is unfounded.

On February 20, Minister Lammy, who was attending a G20 meeting in South Africa, stated that he would inform President Paul Kagame that continued infringements on the sovereignty of the DRC would have consequences.

Nduhungirehe, shared through his X handle that he looks forward to seeing Minister Lammy follow through on what he said in South Africa, and he will issue a strong statement after meeting with President Kagame.

In this welcome message to Lammy, Nduhungirehe said, “Really? I look forward to seeing this and reading a strong statement after the meeting. Welcome to Kigali, David Lammy!”

The Rwandan government continues to criticize how the international community overlooks the known reasons for the conflict in eastern DRC, including the persecution of Congolese Tutsis and the support that the FDLR terrorist group receives from the DRC government, which seeks to destabilize the region.

Regarding the repercussions or sanctions that Lammy may threaten against Rwanda, the government has indicated that such measures will not bring solutions. If they did, the region would have been stable for many years.

The Rwandan government calls on the international community to support the resolutions made by the heads of state of the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) as they would lead to lasting peace.

This includes political dialogue between the DRC government and the armed groups in conflict, including the M23 group.

Nduhungirehe, shared through his X handle that he looks forward to seeing Minister Lammy.

The UK Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, is expected in Kigali this Saturday afternoon.