The spokesperson for the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), Brig. Gen. Patrick Karuretwa, has stated that Rwanda will not remove the defensive measures it has put in place, stressing that they may only be adjusted depending on how security threats evolve.
The United States has repeatedly called on Rwanda to lift the defensive measures deployed along its border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), arguing that such a move is consistent with the peace agreements signed between the two countries on June 27, 2025, and December 4, 2025.
However, Rwanda maintains that the DRC has failed to fulfill its own commitments under those agreements, particularly the obligation to dismantle the FDLR militia. Kigali argues that instead of neutralizing the group, the Congolese government has continued cooperating with it.
Speaking during an interview with RBA on July 5, 2026, Brig. Gen. Karuretwa recalled Rwanda’s experience during the insurgency of infiltrators in the late 1990s, saying the country learned that waiting for enemies to reach its borders before acting would expose its citizens to serious danger.
“We experienced what happened during the insurgency. Waiting until hostile activities reach our borders and our territory is a lesson we have already learned. We are not poor students of history. The decisions taken after that period shaped the defensive measures needed to ensure Rwandans remain safe from threats originating in the DRC,” he said.
Karuretwa emphasized that every sovereign nation has the right to establish defensive measures to protect its people against existing security threats.
He noted that Rwanda’s security posture has evolved over time, explaining that the joint military operations conducted by the RDF and the Congolese army in 2019 against armed groups were themselves part of Rwanda’s broader defensive strategy.
“But when you face a situation like the current one, where the President of the DRC openly chooses to cooperate with our enemies in order to create insecurity against Rwanda from Congolese territory, defensive measures cannot simply be removed—they must adapt,” he added.
Karuretwa described the FDLR as a militia composed of individuals who either planned or participated in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, insisting that the group’s ideology remains unchanged.
He explained that after fleeing Rwanda, FDLR members reorganized themselves as a military force in eastern DRC and even established training schools for young recruits.
“To suggest that only those who crossed the border years ago should be considered is to ignore reality. I don’t know whether that is ignorance or deliberate denial.
It is understandable when the Congolese government says such things because they cooperate with the group, but what is troubling is when others believe it. Their training camps in places such as Walikale and Pinga are well known. The FDLR problem has not diminished; it has actually grown,” he said.
The RDF spokesperson stressed that no amount of international pressure would persuade Rwanda to remove its defensive measures as long as the DRC has not effectively addressed the FDLR threat.
“Looking back, Rwanda has always faced pressure. Our defensive measures will remain in place and will continue to evolve according to the security situation. If we return to joint operations like those conducted in the past, that would be welcome.
But to suggest that we should completely remove our defensive measures—we are not suicidal,” he said.
Brig. Gen. Karuretwa also serves as Rwanda’s representative on the Joint Security Coordination Mechanism, which brings together officials from Rwanda, the United States, and the DRC to monitor the implementation of peace agreements. He reaffirmed that Rwanda has never accepted making security decisions under external pressure.
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