Rwandan President Paul Kagame insisted Thursday that tensions with the Democratic Republic of the Congo are not about seizing territory or exploiting minerals.
Speaking at the annual national dialogue in Kigali, Kagame said the core issue is the persistent presence of the FDLR armed group.
He described the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda as a continuing security threat, rooted in genocidal ideology from 1994.
“If we were really in the Congo for minerals, Rwanda would be a hundred times richer than it is today,” he added.
Kagame took a defiant stance against international pressure, blaming global actors for decades of unresolved conflict in the eastern Congo region.
“These people in the international community…we will do this if you don’t do this…sometimes you feel choked by all that,” he said.
He stressed Rwanda’s measures are defensive, asserting the conflict did not originate from Rwanda but emerged from persistent security threats in Congo.
M23 rebels, allegedly supported by Rwanda, control significant territory in eastern Congo, including the provincial capitals Goma and Bukavu seized early in 2025.
Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi previously accused Kagame of wanting to split his country and annex resource-rich eastern provinces for political gain.
Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe dismissed Tshisekedi’s remarks as “political theatrics, which have become ridiculous,” defending Kigali’s regional role.
The dispute underscores a volatile border region, where historical grievances and rebel activity fuel ongoing insecurity and heighten international scrutiny.
Kagame concluded that Rwanda’s priority is eliminating security threats and preventing the resurgence of genocidal ideology, portraying his country as acting in self-defense.