Paul Kagame, the President of Rwanda, has pointed out that Rwanda desires tranquility in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since it would similarly bring peace to Rwanda, noting that Rwandans have endured enough suffering.

He stated this during an exclusive interview with Mario Nawfal, an American blogger who is the host of the largest show on X.

“We really want peace; we want peace in Congo because it translates into peace for us so that we continue building our small country that has had enough suffering, more than enough,” said Kagame to an American blogger, Mario Nawfal.

“We can’t be the ones who are looking for any trouble to take us back to those days,” he added.

Kagame said that in order to end the ongoing fighting and other political issues in DRC, the Congolese government should “take the bulls by its horns and accept the reality,” as well as engage in peaceful talks with the AFC/M23 rebels and other concerned parties that would lead to the ceasefire.

“Now what is needed is for the parties involved and others who want to support to have to stop the fighting, have a ceasefire. Secondly, it is to find a process that resolves political issues peacefully and that will require the leaders of Congo to take the bull by its horns and accept the reality and see.”

He further emphasized that the Congolese government must acknowledge Rwanda’s security concerns and address them because they are rooted in the DRC due to their association with the Congolese government.

“We have been demanding for years, and we will keep doing so until we get it. Our borders, this time particularly with DRC, must be secured from these people [FDLR], and the world knows about that and has ignored, there is no question about it,” said Kagame.

Kagame stressed that the Congolese government has been unable to recognise and solve their political issues; instead, they have blamed their problems on Rwanda. “Why Rwanda could have gone there or why they could have done this? Those problems are forgotten; the only problem (they are focusing on) is why are you in Congo?”

“This fighting that started three years ago did not start with Rwanda. Those guys who started the fighting did not come from Rwanda. Their problem (the M23 rebels) was there in 2012, and they came back 10 years later. It means in between, nobody addressed their problems, neither Kinshasa nor anybody else. and they are the ones who started the fighting. The way Rwanda is brought into it is by saying these are Tutsis.”

Kagame told Nawfal that if he was to meet the DRC’s President Felix Tshisekedi, he would tell him I wish he wasn’t president of that good country.

Kagame mentioned he had learnt that Tshisekedi was someone who, in his past, could not even do the job of delivering pizza to the extent that his former employer was surprised by Tshisekedi’s election as president.

“Felix spent many years in Belgium. He was a taxi driver….but even with a very bad reputation. The man, an old man now, who employed him was an Italian family who owned a pizza shop, and Felix used to deliver. So, when this old man heard that Felix had become president, he said, oh my God, this one?"