BY PRINCE BORIS CYUBAHIRO

12 December 2025 – New York Rwanda issued a strong call for fairness and comprehensive analysis today as the UN Security Council debated the recent clashes between AFC/M23 rebels and FARDC soldiers in South Kivu’s Rusizi Valley.

Speaking on behalf of Rwanda, Ambassador Ngoga Martin criticized the tendency of the international community to overlook crucial drivers of the conflict, especially the role of the FDLR terrorist group and the worsening humanitarian abuses against Banyamulenge communities in Minembwe.

Rwanda Rejects One-Sided Narratives

Amb. Ngoga stated that the current fighting was triggered by FARDC’s violation of the ceasefire, carried out in coordination with Burundian troops, Wazalendo militias, the FDLR, and foreign mercenaries—contrary to commitments made by the DRC government during the Doha peace talks.

He highlighted that since 2017, Congolese forces and Mai-Mai militias have conducted repeated attacks on Banyamulenge civilians in Minembwe, destroying up to 85% of their villages and blocking their access to markets in an attempt to starve them.

Despite multiple alerts, he said, the international community has “done nothing,” even as military drones and fighter jets targeted Banyamulenge villages and displacement camps, including in Mikenke, with 15 airstrikes recorded between March and December 2025.We have raised these issues in this Council, but no action has been taken,” Amb. Ngoga said.He challenged members: “Did the Security Council not know, or did it decide this issue does not matter?”

FDLR Support by DRC Must Not Be Ignored

Amb. Ngoga stressed that Rwanda supports the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, but warned that ignoring the FDLR threat is dangerous. He emphasized that:

• The DRC government has supported FDLR for 30 years,

• There is irrefutable evidence of this support,Several UN resolutions clearly call for the dismantling of FDLR.

He further criticized the tendency of some countries to condemn Rwanda while remaining silent about the violence targeting Congolese Tutsi communities and the FDLR’s continued collaboration with FARDC.

Call for Dialogue and Genuine Commitment

Rwanda reminded the Council that on 4 December 2025, Kigali and Kinshasa signed peace and economic cooperation agreements reaffirming their commitment to dialogue and regional stability.
Amb. Ngoga said political solutions—not military escalations—are the only viable path to lasting peace in eastern Congo.

However, he warned that such solutions require genuine political will from all sides, including recognition of all armed actors destabilizing the region.

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Key Issues Rwanda Says Were Ignored by Many UN Members

• The security threat posed by FDLR to Rwanda

• The killings and displacement of Banyamulenge in Minembwe

• Aerial attacks targeting Banyamulenge civilians

• The DRC’s collaboration with FDLR despite UN resolutions