RWANDA’S Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe has issued a stark warning about the Democratic Republic of Congo’s persistent instability, calling for renewed urgency in addressing what he described as “deeply rooted” problems including bad governance, corruption, and genocide ideology that continue to fuel conflict in the region.
Speaking at a session on peace and stability during the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), Nduhungirehe outlined ongoing diplomatic and military efforts to bring peace to the DRC while emphasizing that underlying causes of the conflict remain unresolved.
“Renewed urgency is needed in addressing the underlying root causes of conflicts such as bad governance, corruption, discrimination, and genocide ideology, which are deeply rooted in countries such as the DRC,” Nduhungirehe told delegates in Yokohama.
The minister’s remarks come as multiple regional and international initiatives work toward a sustainable peace solution in the Great Lakes region, where conflict has persisted for decades. Current diplomatic efforts include the Washington Peace Agreement and the Doha Process, operating alongside regional peacekeeping missions.
Rwanda has positioned itself as a key partner in regional stability efforts, with forces currently deployed in the Central African Republic and Mozambique at the formal request of those governments. The country also continues contributing to peacekeeping operations in South Sudan and CAR.
The East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are leading “commendable efforts” under African Union coordination to support peace in the region, according to Nduhungirehe. These initiatives reflect what Rwanda calls “African solutions to African problems.”
Despite ongoing challenges, Nduhungirehe expressed optimism about continental peace prospects, stating that Africa’s aspiration to “silence the guns” could be achieved by 2030. He pointed to progress in establishing the African Union Peace Fund, which reached its $400 million target with increased private sector participation.
The minister emphasized that the 2015 Kigali Principles on the Protection of Civilians remain “an essential framework to guide robust, effective accountable, and people-centered peacekeeping” as various forces work to stabilize the region.
Nduhungirehe warned that the spillover effects of African conflicts are felt globally, making peace efforts a matter of international concern as the continent positions itself as “the engine of global growth and innovation in the future.”
The DRC has experienced decades of conflict involving multiple armed groups, with fighting particularly intense in the eastern provinces where millions have been displaced and thousands killed in ongoing violence.
