Kagame denies claims of Rwanda’s interest in DR Congo’s minerals
By: Trt Africa
Rwandan President Paul Kagame has said the country’s tensions with the Democratic Republic of the Congo are not motivated by the exploitation of Congolese resources or a desire to seize territory.
In remarks at the opening of the annual national dialogue in the capital, Kigali, on Thursday, Kagame said: “The problem that Rwanda has with the Congo is mainly about the FDLR presence there, security threats, as well as the genocidal ideology.”
The president was referring to the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), an armed group active in eastern Congo whose elements are blamed for the genocide against the Tutsi ethnic group in 1994.
“It is not about minerals; that one is aside for sure…If we were really in the Congo for minerals, Rwanda would be a hundred times richer than it is today.”
Defiant stance
In response to threats of international sanctions over the Congo conflict, Kagame took a defiant stance, claiming that the international community is to blame for the region’s decades-long conflict.
“You can’t create problems for me at the same time, come and blame me for these problems, and then start threatening me…,” he said.
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