The Rwandan Opposition Platform P4 has welcomed the signing of the Declaration of Principles for Peace and Development between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, but warns that no agreement will secure lasting peace without political change in Kigali.
Speaking from Montreal, P4’s coordinator, Dr Emmanuel Hakizimana, praised the United States’ role in facilitating the April 25 deal. Yet he insisted that Rwanda’s authoritarian system, entrenched under President Paul Kagame, remains the root cause of instability in the Great Lakes region.
Hakizimana argued that the absence of democracy in Rwanda has enabled repeated aggression against the DRC, resulting in millions of deaths, mass displacements, and widespread human rights abuses, including attacks on UN peacekeepers. “No declaration will bring sustainable peace as long as Kigali’s regime stays intact,” he said.
P4 also drew attention to the plight of Rwandan refugees, many of whom have lived in exile for decades, particularly in the DRC. Hakizimana stressed that their voluntary, safe return is impossible under the current political conditions and must be addressed as part of any genuine peace effort.
He called on international actors to confront the reality of Kagame’s rule, arguing that without democratic transition in Rwanda, the Washington declaration risks becoming just another temporary truce.
Therwandan
