NAIROBI, February 21. /TASS/. The conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo cannot be resolved by means of sanctions, the Rwandan foreign ministry said in a statement, commenting on the US sanctions against Minister of State James Kabarebe.
The ministry slammed these sanctions as "unjustified and unfounded." "If sanctions could resolve conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), we would have had peace in the region decades ago," the statement says. "For the last three years, the conflict along Rwanda’s western border has involved hostile forces that have not been sanctioned. These include the Congolese armed forces (FARDC), fighting alongside SAMIDRC troops, Burundian troops, the FDLR genocidal militia, and European mercenaries."
"The coddling and lack of dissuasive action by the international community on the insecurity and violent conflict instigated by the Congolese government has contributed to the prolonging and intensification of the fighting in eastern DRC," it reads.
"Rwanda’s only aim is a secure border and an irreversible end to the politics of armed ethnic extremism in our region. This is a matter of national security and that is our only driver. Rwandans have the right to live in peace and without the perpetual threat of insecurity originating from the DRC," the ministry stressed.
According to the statement, "punitive measures, including sanctions, make no contribution toward long-term security, peace and stability for all the countries of the Great Lakes region." "Such measures can only be construed as unwarranted external interference in the African-led process, which risks prolonging the resolution of the conflict," the ministry pointed out, adding that the peacekeeping initiative of the African Union and other regional organizations "is the onlt credible pathway to a negotiated solution.".