Rwanda Government spokesperson Makolo condemns DRC minister’s hostile remarks, even in prison
Rwanda’s government spokesperson, Yolande Makolo, condemned the recent statements made by the Minister of Justice of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Constant Mutamba, who encouraged prisoners in Munzenze prison to attack Rwanda, calling it a provocative act beyond measure.
The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has been spreading hate speech against the Tutsi people in the eastern part of the country and the Rwandan government, labeling them as enemies who have occupied their land.
These hateful speeches have led to repeated calls for help for the Tutsis in South and North Kivu, who are being killed daily.
The DRC government accuses Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebel group, but Rwanda denies the allegations and provides substantial evidence to back up its position.
On November 23, 2024, during an inspection of the special measures in Goma, Minister of Justice Constant Mutamba visited prisoners in Munzenze prison, urging them to identify their “enemy.”
The “enemy” he referred to in his speech was the Tutsi people from Eastern DRC. This rhetoric is largely driven by the DRC government’s collaboration with the FDLR rebel group, which was responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
Mutamba stated that all prisoners linked to Rwanda would be transferred to the Angenga military prison. He also declared, “Know that we will capture all of them, and even Kagame will be taken… We refuse to let a foreign enemy come and occupy our land. Our president will never allow our country to be taken or led by Rwandans.”
In response, Yolande Makolo, the Rwandan government spokesperson, took to X (formerly Twitter), describing the comments as extreme provocation, especially since they were made just a few kilometers from the border between Rwanda and the DRC. She stated, “
Extreme provocation by the DRC justice minister at a prison in Goma, a few kilometers from the border with Rwanda. Should we now expect criminals & prisoners in the deadly mix of FDLR, Wazalendo, european mercenaries and SAMIM fighting for FARDC?”
In previous remarks, DRC President Félix Tshisekedi had been heard repeatedly saying that they were prepared to assist Rwanda’s youth in overthrowing the Rwandan government, even threatening to attack Kigali without stepping foot in the city.
Mutamba went further to say that traitors in the prisons “must be killed. We will capture all of them, even up to the last one. We will return Rutshuru, Masisi, and all the territories.”
It appears that the “Rwandans” or “traitors” Mutamba refers to are members of the M23 group and their relatives whom the DRC government associates with Rwanda. This rhetoric draws parallels with the methods used during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, where lists were made of individuals to be targeted and removed from prisons, while those labeled as “traitors” would remain.
Mutamba further emphasized, “The enemy of the Congolese people is Kagame, it is the Rwandans. If you help us in this mission, the innocent among you will be released. Stand together and show us who they are, and you will be rewarded and released.”
Such speeches inciting violence are reminiscent of those used in the first and second republics of Rwanda when the government encouraged Hutus to kill Tutsis.
History shows that some of these people found themselves in Congo because their land was transferred to that country following the division of Africa at the time of border demarcations. Others were taken during the colonial period by the Belgians to work in the mines and pursue other economic interests of the colonizers, and they remained in Congo until they were granted full Congolese citizenship.
