Rwandan President Paul Kagame has criticised African leaders over their handling of the ongoing crisis in the Eastern province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Speaking during the 24th Extraordinary Summit of the EAC Heads of State held virtually on Wednesday night to discuss recent developments in the region, Kagame argued that efforts by African leaders to resolve the crisis had been undermined by their actions.
According to Kagame, the African leaders and the international community's efforts to try to bring a solution to the crisis in DRC were overtaken by other personal entitlements. He went ahead to mention previous peace mediation initiatives, pointing out a similar one dubbed the Nairobi Process that was led by former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
''The processes became an end in themselves and the people leading these processes became more important than the result of the processes. The Nairobi process became the Uhuru process,'' Kagame stated.
''So then you have the whole international community so confused. They talked about Rwanda, they talked about the Nairobi process. Honestly, even here you will help me understand what all this means,'' he added.
The summit of the EAC Heads of State had been convened by Ruto to try to bring a solution to the worsening humanitarian crisis in DRC.
The DRC government has had repeated clashes with the M23 rebel group, with escalating tensions leading to attacks on foreign embassies in the country, including Kenya's.
Kagame further took issue with other African leaders, including Presidents Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa and João Lourenço of Angola, accusing them of undermining regional efforts to resolve the crisis.
"Then the Luanda process—you cannot say anything that will displease President Lourenço. Definitely, this does not help with the serious matters we are faced with today," Kagame asserted.
"For the last two days and this morning, I spoke with the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, who sought me out to discuss this matter because of their involvement in Eastern Congo. He is also there, pretending to be playing the peacemaker role," he added.
The tensions in the Eastern region flared for a better part of Sunday and Monday which saw Goma, the largest city in the region subjected to heavy gunfire as Rwanda-backed M23 rebels took on central authorities in the region.
According to the UN, the escalating conflict between the rebel groups and the government has led to the displacement of more than 400,000 people, further fuelling a fresh spate of protests.
The devastating conflict has since spewed to the Rwandan border, affecting civilian activities including schooling and businesses in Rubavu, which borders DRC.
