In his powerful analysis, Abandoned and Betrayed: How African Leaders Have Forsaken DRC, published on March 14, 2025, Dr. Theogene Rudasingwa, co-founder of the Rwanda Truth Commission and the Rwanda Freedom Movement-ISHAKWE, delivers a damning indictment of African leaders for abandoning the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to Paul Kagame’s relentless aggression.
Dr. Rudasingwa is not a distant observer—he was once one of Kagame’s closest allies. As former Secretary-General of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), Kagame’s ruling party, he had an insider’s view of the strategies and mechanisms that have enabled Rwanda’s military and economic stranglehold over Eastern Congo. Now a fierce opponent of the Rwandan regime, he speaks with the authority of someone who understands Kagame’s system from within. His conclusion is clear: the betrayal of Congo is not only an international scandal but also a disgraceful failure of African leadership.
For years, Western powers have provided Kagame with financial aid and diplomatic cover, allowing him to entrench a police-state dictatorship while systematically looting Congo’s resources. Western support enabled Rwanda’s military expansionism, fueling massacres, forced displacement, and the exploitation of Congo’s vast mineral wealth. Today, a shift appears to be occurring, with some Western governments imposing mild sanctions on Kigali. However, this overdue recognition of Kagame’s crimes is overshadowed by the shocking inaction of African leaders, who have chosen silence over solidarity.
The African Union (AU), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the East African Community (EAC) have utterly failed in their responsibilities. Instead of defending Congolese sovereignty, they have effectively surrendered Eastern Congo to Rwanda’s forces. The withdrawal of SADC troops, who were deployed to assist the Congolese government against the M23 rebellion, marks a shameful abandonment of the very people they were meant to protect. South African, Tanzanian, and Malawian soldiers are retreating, leaving entire communities defenseless. Meanwhile, the EAC, which includes both Rwanda and the DRC, has proven itself to be nothing more than a tool manipulated by Kagame. Far from fostering peace, it has facilitated negotiations that reward Rwanda’s aggression. The AU, which claims to stand for African sovereignty, has neither imposed sanctions nor issued forceful condemnations against Rwanda. This silence is not just cowardice—it is complicity.
Dr. Rudasingwa warns that Kagame’s war in Congo is not merely about resource control or ethnic conflict; it is a calculated strategy to sustain his dictatorship in Rwanda. By perpetuating war, he keeps his military engaged, suppresses internal dissent, and justifies his authoritarian rule. “As long as Kagame remains in power, neither Rwanda nor the DRC will know peace,” Dr. Rudasingwa asserts. He argues that Rwanda’s plundering of Congo is an extension of Kagame’s grip on power—an exploitation of regional instability for personal and political survival.
The fate of Congo and Rwanda are inseparably linked. The DRC cannot fully reclaim its sovereignty until Kagame’s totalitarian state is dismantled and replaced with a government rooted in democracy, justice, and the rule of law. The oppression of the Rwandan people sustains the suffering of the Congolese people. True peace in the region can only emerge when dictatorship is overthrown and replaced with genuine democracy.
Faced with the failure of African governments and the indifference of the international community, Dr. Rudasingwa calls on the Congolese people to take their destiny into their own hands. He urges mass mobilization, including protests, strikes, and civil disobedience, to send a clear message that Rwandan occupation will not be tolerated. He encourages communities to organize self-defense groups to protect themselves against the violence of Kagame’s forces and M23 rebels. Every Congolese citizen, he argues, must become an advocate, documenting and exposing Kagame’s crimes on social media, in international forums, and through independent journalism.
Dr. Rudasingwa also calls for Pan-African solidarity. Just as the world united against apartheid in South Africa, the African continent must rise in defense of Congo. Civil society organizations, student movements, religious leaders, and activists must stage demonstrations at Rwandan embassies across Africa, demanding an end to Kagame’s war. He urges African businesses and consumers to boycott Rwandan goods and services until the aggression ceases. No African country should engage in trade or diplomacy with Rwanda while its leader continues waging war on a fellow African nation. Those African leaders who remain silent must be held accountable—their complicity cannot be ignored.
If Kagame is allowed to continue unchecked, no African nation is safe. If Congo falls, the very notion of African sovereignty becomes meaningless. However, if the Congolese people, the African diaspora, and justice-loving individuals worldwide unite in this struggle, the DRC will triumph.
Dr. Rudasingwa closes his argument by invoking the words of Patrice Lumumba: “We are going to show the world what the African can do when he works in freedom.”
Therwandan
