President Paul Kagame has warned that those who believe they can silence him over the dismantling of the FDLR, a group founded by individuals implicated in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, are mistaken, saying the only way to silence him would be through his death.
He made the remarks during a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Rwandese Patriotic Front RPF Inkotanyi held on July 17, 2026.
The FDLR Must Be Dealt With
President Kagame said Rwanda is not responsible for the insecurity in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but stressed that the presence of the FDLR becomes Rwanda’s concern because the group continues to pose a direct threat to the country’s security.
“I like to return to this issue and ask different people: Why do you make Rwanda the problem? This is not Rwanda’s problem; it is a problem for Congo and its people. It becomes our problem when it comes to the FDLR, which must be dealt with one way or another,” he said.
He added that Rwanda has repeatedly urged either the Congolese authorities or the United Nations to address the FDLR, warning that Rwanda would act to protect its security if necessary.
Questions Over the Peace Process
Kagame argued that successive peace discussions with the DRC had revealed what he described as Kinshasa’s lack of commitment to lasting peace.
He said that although Rwanda and the DRC signed a peace agreement in December 2025, which included provisions for dismantling the FDLR, removing Rwanda’s defensive measures, and promoting economic cooperation, the agreed terms later began to change.
According to Kagame, some parties are now insisting that Rwanda must first withdraw its defensive measures before the FDLR is dismantled, a position he said contradicts the agreement.
Remarks on M23
The President also dismissed suggestions that Rwanda should receive AFC/M23 fighters, saying such assumptions are behind some of the changing narratives surrounding the peace process.
He added that debates over whether M23 members are Congolese are historical matters for those involved during the colonial era, not Rwanda.
I Will Only Be Silent When I Am Dead
Kagame said Rwanda had repeatedly warned about developments in places such as Uvira and Minembwe, but those warnings were ignored.
He criticized what he described as attempts to intimidate Rwanda through sanctions and political pressure instead of implementing the commitments contained in the peace agreement.
he said: “Silencing people, I think, is going to become a problem—or become more serious than people think… I will only be silent when I am dead. That is the only way to silence me,”
Rwanda Will Continue Protecting Its Security
President Kagame concluded by stressing that although Rwanda is a small country capable of enduring many challenges, it will never allow threats to its security to go unanswered, reaffirming that the country cannot be subjected to the tragedies of its past again.
