KIGALI, Rwanda — President Paul Kagame of Rwanda offered cautious support on Friday for a United States-brokered peace deal intended to end the long-running conflict in eastern Congo but warned that Rwanda would defend itself if its security was threatened.
Speaking publicly for the first time since the deal was signed last week in Kinshasa, Mr. Kagame said that Rwanda would honor its commitment to withdraw troops from neighboring Congo within 90 days, as the agreement requires.
But he voiced deep skepticism over whether the Congolese government would dismantle the armed groups that Kigali blames for cross-border violence.
“If the side that we are working with plays tricks and takes us back to the problem, then we deal with the problem like we have been dealing with it,” Mr. Kagame told reporters at a news conference in Kigali.
The deal, backed by the Trump administration, seeks to end months of renewed fighting in eastern Congo, where M23 rebels, allegedly backed by Rwanda, have seized major towns this year.
The United Nations and several Western governments have accused Rwanda of deploying thousands of troops and supplying advanced weapons to M23—a charge Mr. Kagame’s government has repeatedly denied.
Despite hopes that the agreement could ease tensions, many observers remain doubtful. The M23 rebel group, a major force on the battlefield, has said the deal does not apply to them.
Meanwhile, Congolese officials accuse Rwanda of fueling the conflict to exploit Congo’s vast mineral wealth.
The heart of the dispute lies in the presence of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, or FDLR, an armed Hutu group with ties to the perpetrators of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide.
Rwanda sees the FDLR’s continued activity in Congo’s lawless east as a direct security threat.
“Kigali’s position has not changed,” Mr. Kagame said. “Kinshasa must dismantle the FDLR if this peace effort is to succeed.”
Mr. Kagame also sought to shield the United States from blame should the agreement collapse.
“We are grateful to the Trump administration for its efforts,” he said. “If it doesn’t work, they aren’t the ones to blame.”
The Congolese government has not issued an official response to Mr. Kagame’s remarks. But officials in Kinshasa have consistently accused Rwanda of backing the M23 rebellion, which has driven nearly 7 million people from their homes, according to the United Nations.
The U.N. has called the crisis in eastern Congo one of the most severe humanitarian emergencies in the world today.
On Thursday, Congolese officials and M23 representatives agreed in principle to return to Qatar for renewed peace talks—separate from the American-led effort.
But whether that dialogue will produce results remains uncertain.
In a parallel development, Washington has proposed an economic initiative to open eastern Congo’s tantalum, copper, and gold deposits to Western investors.
Critics say those minerals have long fueled armed conflict in the region.
Mr. Kagame’s appearance Friday was his first since early June, when speculation about his health began circulating among exiled opposition figures.
One former adviser, David Himbara, claimed without evidence that the president was gravely ill.
Mr. Kagame dismissed the rumors with characteristic humor. “Some of my personal health problems might originate from managing you people,” he quipped, drawing laughter from the room.
Appearing relaxed and animated, Mr. Kagame concluded: “What is the problem? What would people want me to account for? That I am not human?”
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