Rwanda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Martin Ngoga, has faulted the UN Security Council for consistently downplaying the threat posed by the FDLR, describing the militia as “the root cause of insecurity affecting Rwanda and the wider Great Lakes Region.”
Speaking during a One Nation dialogue held in New York, Amb. Ngoga said efforts to restore peace in the region remain undermined by UN decisions that overlook the real source of instability, despite decades of violence unfolding in full view of peacekeeping missions.
He recalled the UN’s failure in 1994, when peacekeepers withdrew as the Genocide against the Tutsi was unfolding, abandoning civilians who needed protection. “The UN played a role through its decisions in enabling perpetrators of the genocide to escape,” he said.
FDLR: A Persistent Threat Ignored by the UN
Amb. Ngoga said the UN has for years failed to confront the FDLR, a group formed in 2000 by remnants of the Interahamwe, ex-FAR soldiers, and some refugees who fled to what is now eastern DRC after committing the genocide.
He argued that the group has rebuilt itself under the watch of UN peacekeepers and continues to pose a direct security threat to Rwanda.“This militia, made up of genocide perpetrators, has reorganized, expanded its capabilities, and repeatedly attempted to attack Rwanda,” Ngoga said.
Although the UN Security Council has regularly deliberated on the crisis in eastern DRC, Ngoga said its resolutions often minimize or ignore FDLR’s influence, instead focusing on unrelated issues. “Their significant role in fueling hate and instability has been consistently downplayed,” he noted. “Our biggest responsibility is to ensure the Security Council understands this reality.”
A Region Still Suffering
Ngoga also pointed to broader issues undermining peace in DRC, including the ongoing persecution of Congolese communities who speak Kinyarwanda many of whom face killings, displacement, and denial of citizenship.
He stressed that Rwanda’s work at the UN centers on presenting verifiable facts, countering misinformation, and ensuring decisions are based on truth rather than political distortions.
Rwanda, he said, knows the cost of insecurity more than any other nation in the region, which is why it remains one of the world’s largest contributors to peacekeeping missions.
On Regional Peace Efforts and the Doha Process
Regarding ongoing diplomatic efforts led by countries including Qatar and the United States, Ngoga said Rwanda views them as potentially valuable steps toward durable peace.
On the Doha agreement involving the DRC and the AFC/M23, he acknowledged its importance to Congolese internal affairs but emphasized that its outcomes inevitably affect Rwanda and neighboring countries.
Rwanda and Uganda currently host more than 130,000 Congolese refugees, illustrating how Congo’s internal instability spills over into the region. “These discussions are an opportunity to ensure that decisions made are actually implemented,” he said, adding that Rwanda remains fully committed to contributing to lasting regional peace.
Security as the Foundation of Development
Ngoga concluded by stressing that sustainable development cannot be achieved without security and justice. “There is no development without lasting security, and no peace without justice,” he said.
