Foreign minister criticises aid suspension and blame game

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Didier Reynders (pictured left), said yesterday that blaming Rwanda for the current situation in the DRC was a distraction from finding a solution to the crisis that has gripped the neighbouring country since April, The New Times reports. Reynders was addressing a joint news conference together with his Rwandan counterpart, Louise Mushikiwabo, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters in Kigali. 

“It is certainly not the best solution,  to blame one country. But we have to put pressure on all the partners – the Congo, the neighbouring countries, the international community – and now it is urgent to take to the floor [at the UN] for a solution,” Reynders said at the end of a two-day visit, which he said was mainly “dedicated to the situation in the region, particularly the eastern part of the Congo.” Reynders began his Rwanda tour by visiting displaced Congolese refugees at Nkamira transit centre in Rubavu District. A UN Group of Experts accuses Rwanda of backing the M23 rebellion against the government of President Joseph Kabila.

As a result, several western countries suspended or cut aid to Rwanda, a move the Belgian diplomat said was “not a good idea.” 

“I repeat, I have said that it is not a good idea to take some individual decisions in different countries,” Reynders said. “It is better to make a real visit and dialogue and then we’ll be in discussions at the United Nations.”

 The visiting Belgian minister also spoke about recent incidents involving Rwandans in Belgium who have repeatedly been attacked by Congolese nationals, and have faulted Brussels for not doing enough to stop the violence. The latest such incident took place last Saturday, with reports indicating that another Rwandan was attacked and reportedly stabbed in the abdomen. “I spoke with the President (Paul Kagame, pictured right) and my counterpart (Mushikiwabo), and expressed my deep concern about the aggression against one young man yesterday in Brussels, and we have organised all possible activities for proper prosecution. It is unacceptable – we have the police, the logistics, and we will do what it takes,” Reynders noted. 

Last July, a 22-year old Rwandan was attacked by a Congolese mob in the Merode metro station in Brussels and later admitted to hospital with a fractured jaw. The association of the Rwandan Diaspora in Belgium petitioned the authorities over the attacks, which are supposedly linked to allegations of Rwanda’s involvement with the DRC conflict. On August 18, the group staged a peaceful protest in Brussels.