Tshisekedi's Brussels remarks spark scrutiny over Rwanda and Uganda relations

Tshisekedi's Brussels remarks spark scrutiny over Rwanda and Uganda relations

 Brussels, october 9, 2025 | At the EU's Global gateway Forum, Democratic Republic of  Congo president Felix Tshisekedi made headlines by addressing regional tensions involving Rwanda and uganda, while simultaneously asserting his commitment to peaceful diplomacy.

speaking at the high-profile investment summit attended by regional leaders including Rwandan President His excellency  Paul Kagame, Tshisekedi acknowledged external influence exacerbating the DRC's internal instability. 

Tshisekedi cited the M23 rebel group as a key factor, directly urging government of Rwanda to intervene: ''this requires you to order the M23 troops supported by your country to stop this escation, which has already caused enough deaths.''

However Uganda was not singled out as sharply , tshisekedi grouped it with Rwanda as part of a boarder regional dynamic that, according to longstanding congolese claims, involving  support for armed groups and exploitation of mineral resources includes: gold, silver, petrol...

while these pointed remarks, Tshisekedi insisted that his government maintains a non-aggressive posture: ''At no time have  I displayed any belligerent attitude ehatsover towards Rwanda or Uganda or any other of our nine neighbors." 

He also announced a temporary suspension of calls for sanctions against Rwanda , signaling a preference for Dialogue over confrontation.

Contradictions in the Record

despite, tshisekedi is claim of non-belligerence has drawn criticism and fact-checking, as it appears inconsistent with his past rhetoric.  over the past year, he had made several inflammatory speech's targeting Rwanda and to a lesser extent for Uganda as the following Highlighted statements :

• December 2024: Compared Kagame to Adolf Hitler during a speech in Kinshasa accusing Him of expansionist ambitions.

• January 2025: Pledged support for regime change Rwanda and Boasted about Drc's Drone capabilities reaching kigali.

• February 2025: in this month called for Military action against "Rwanda-backed terrorist" and accused Rwanda of war crimes. 

• March 2025: He reiterated threats during peace talks in Doha, refusing direct Negotiations with M23.

• whole 2024-2025: Repeatedly urged the Un to impose sanctions on Rwanda and accused Uganda of illicit resource extraction. these statements have been widely reported by international Media and referenced in Un debates, painting a picture of a leader who always used Negative voice in regional discourse.

Path Forward 

As the conflict in Eastern  congo continues to destabilize the region, many observes argue that meaning progress will require direct engagement with rebel factions such as M23. Tshisekedi  is recent pivot toward diplomacy may be a step in that Direction, but critics warn that credibility and consistency will be key to any lasting resolution.