Tshisekedi, Kagame Differ on DR Congo Atrocities Report

DR Congo’s President Félix Tshisekedi says justice must be given to all victims who lost lives in the country and in the Central African region following a report that accused Rwandan forces of committing mass atrocities in DR Congo.

Mr Tshisekedi on Wednesday differed with his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame noting that there should be justice for the victims of atrocities cited by the 2010 UN Mapping Report.

The report, which President Kagame challenges, documented the most serious violations against international humanitarian law committed between 1993 and 2003. The report prompted denials from Rwanda and other countries that were named.

“So for me, it would be a positive attitude for President Kagame to co-operate on that, because at this stage there’s no condemnation yet…and if those he defends are innocent, justice will clear them,” Mr Tshisekedi told AFP news agency in an interview.

Mr Tshisekedi said he was not responding to Mr Kagame, who had earlier said the report was “highly politicised”.

On Monday, Mr Kagame told France24 in Paris that “there were no crimes [in eastern DR Congo] – not by the individuals talked about or by the countries talked about”.

The two presidents have also differed on Denis Mukwege, the DR Congo Nobel peace prize laureate who has advocated for justice for the victims cited in the report.

Mr Tshisekedi described Dr Mukwege as “a national pride…for his work for the victims, while the Rwanda president said he was “a tool of these forces you don’t get to see… he’s told what to say that will influence people’s opinion”.

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