FDLR Rejects Disarmament in Message to Donald Trump
The armed group FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda) has declared that it will not lay down its arms unless it is allowed to participate in comprehensive political negotiations involving all relevant parties, according to statements cited in the latest UN experts' report on eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The group's position was outlined in a message it reportedly addressed to several international leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump.
According to the report by the UN Group of Experts, the FDLR claims its objectives are to protect Hutu refugees and advocate for a political process that includes all stakeholders. However, the report makes clear that these assertions represent the FDLR's own narrative and should not be interpreted as the position or findings of the United Nations.
The report further states that the FDLR maintains it will not disarm until what it describes as unresolved political issues are addressed and insists that it should be included in discussions concerning the future of the Great Lakes region.
The group's stance comes as the Washington Peace Agreement requires the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to dismantle the FDLR as part of broader efforts to restore peace and security in the country's conflict-ridden eastern provinces.
On the question of its military strength, the report notes that the FDLR has issued varying estimates of its own manpower, at times claiming to command more than 10,000 fighters, while its CRAP wing has suggested the figure exceeds 20,000.
However, the United Nations and multiple intelligence assessments estimate the group's actual strength at between 3,500 and 4,500 combatants, the majority believed to belong to the FDLR-FOCA faction.
Recently, Massad Boulos told the United Nations Security Council that, one year after the signing of the Washington Agreement, the government in Kinshasa had failed to fulfill its commitment to dismantle the FDLR.
Rwanda's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Olivier Nduhungirehe, also recently told France 24 that Kinshasa's inability to dismantle what Rwanda describes as a genocidal armed group remains one of the principal obstacles delaying implementation of the Washington Agreement
