Tshisekedi disputes FDLR argument for Rwanda’s presence
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Actualité.cd
In Moscow, Félix Tshisekedi challenged Kigali’s argument that the FDLR pose a threat to Rwanda’s security. The Congolese president says the issue is being used to justify Rwanda’s presence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to his address to the Congolese community in Russia.
Democratic Republic of the Congo President Félix Tshisekedi rejected Kigali’s argument that the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) pose a threat to Rwanda’s security. He said the issue was being used to justify Rwanda’s presence on Congolese territory, during a discussion with the Congolese community in Moscow, according to comments reported by Actualité.cd.
Félix Tshisekedi said his government was moving FDLR fighters away from combat zones and preparing to regroup them at the Kitona military base in western DR Congo. He mentioned their subsequent transfer to a host country or their return to Rwanda after demobilisation, according to Actualité.cd. The Congolese head of state also said the Rwandan president was seeking to persuade the African country that had offered to host them to abandon the proposal.
The remarks come as DR Congo announced on 1 November that FDLR fighters would be regrouped at Kitona, as part of efforts to find a solution to their presence in the east of the country. The regrouping of FDLR fighters at Kitona base is the operational step Kinshasa has presented to move the fighters away from conflict zones.
