Guebuza’s visit to Kigali was in response to a mandate he received from the SADC heads of state summit, held in Maputo on 17-18 August. The summit accused Rwanda of interfering in the DRC, by supporting the rebels of the M23 movement.
The communiqué from the summit called on Rwanda “to cease immediately its interference that constitutes a threat to peace and stability, not only of the DRC, but also of the SADC region”, and mandated Guebuza to visit Rwanda in order “to engage the government of Rwanda with the aim of urging it to stop military support to armed rebels in the DRC”.
At a press conference following his meeting with Kagame, Guebuza said the Rwandan leader had given him “a more complete picture” of the conflict in the eastern DRC. And this would allow him “to go into the matter more deeply with the other colleagues of the region”.
Kagame had made no secret of his irritation at the strong criticism of Rwanda made by the SADC summit. “Obviously President Kagame did not like the SADC position”, said Guebuza. “So he gave a more detailed explanation that will help us better understand the issue”.
Guebuza gave no details of the “more complete picture” painted by Kagame, on the grounds that he still had to consult with other SADC leaders.
He added that Kagame had reaffirmed the commitment of the Rwandan authorities to work for peace in the region.
Rwandan civil society groups have demanded proof of their government’s backing for the M23 rebels. But the United Nations, in a report issued in May, considered there was sufficient evidence that Rwanda was indeed involved.
Likewise, SADC Executive Secretary Tomas Salomao told reporters that the SADC position was based on the analysis made by military experts, who concluded that Rwanda was indeed backing the M23.
On Tuesday Guebuza also visited the memorial to the victims of the Rwandan genocide of 1994, which claimed the lives of around 800,000 people.
After the visit, Guebuza said he was again convinced that divisions never did any good to any country. “Tribalism and social conflicts can lead to such extremes as genocide”, he remarked.
Visiting the sombre monument, which is built over the graves of about 250,000 of the genocide victims, gave a better idea of the reality of the atrocities than just reading about them, he said.
“It’s one thing to know the history, by reading or by listening to people”, Guebuza added, “and it’s another to visit the place where the events are more real”.
Post published in: Africa News