Brussels, April 24, 2025 – The Rwandan Movement for Democratic Change (MRCD-Ubumwe) has issued a public statement criticizing President Paul Kagame’s speech delivered during the 31st commemoration of the Rwandan genocide on April 7, 2025. The statement, signed by MRCD-Ubumwe president Paul Rusesabagina, denounced what it described as the political instrumentalization of a solemn national event.
Paul Rusesabagina, internationally known for his efforts during the 1994 Rwandan genocide—an act later depicted in the film Hotel Rwanda—has been a vocal critic of Kagame’s leadership for many years. After surviving an arrest and imprisonment in Rwanda between 2020 and 2023 on terrorism-related charges widely condemned by human rights organizations, Rusesabagina resumed his political activism in exile and now leads MRCD-Ubumwe.
In its statement, the MRCD reaffirmed its solidarity with genocide survivors and its commitment to preventing any recurrence of such atrocities. However, it accused President Kagame of delivering a speech that failed to promote national unity and healing. Instead, the address was described as “shocking,” filled with “harsh and inappropriate language” that, according to the MRCD, deepened national trauma rather than alleviating it.
The MRCD criticized Kagame’s portrayal of Rwanda as isolated by the international community and his call for the population to unite against external pressures, particularly in light of recent international sanctions. The group warned that such narratives could reignite ethnic divisions within Rwandan society.
Additionally, the MRCD alleged that Kagame used the commemoration as a platform to legitimize Rwanda’s continued involvement in the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Citing reports from the United Nations and several human rights organizations, the MRCD pointed to serious abuses committed by the M23 rebel group, reportedly supported by Rwanda, including massacres, forced displacement, and exploitation of natural resources.
The statement recalled that major international actors, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the European Union, have imposed sanctions against Rwanda and some of its senior officials. Furthermore, United Nations Security Council Resolution 2773, adopted on February 21, 2025, demands the unconditional withdrawal of Rwandan forces from Congolese territory.
The MRCD also expressed concern over Kagame’s increasingly confrontational rhetoric toward the international community and accused him of attempting to revise Rwanda’s historical narrative by blaming former colonial powers, particularly Belgium, for the country’s past conflicts.
In a final note, the MRCD condemned the Rwandan government’s suspension of several international cooperation programs that had benefited the most vulnerable sectors of the population. It criticized what it described as a ruling elite focused on self-enrichment through illicit resource exploitation, to the detriment of the general populace.
The MRCD concluded by calling on Rwandans to unite for democratic change, support peace efforts in the Great Lakes region, and advocate for an inclusive and peaceful political future, free from violence, intimidation, and historical manipulation.
