Lines through the lake: Why the Congo-Rwanda border can’t be redrawn
Long-standing cultural affinities of Rwandophones in the Great Lakes may appear to bolster Kigali’s historical claims to parts of eastern Congo, but it’s more complicated than it seems.
View of Lake Kivu at Bukavu, South Kivu, DRC. Photo courtesy: MONUSCO/Abel Kavanagh.
Two weeks ago, Rwandan President Paul Kagame gave his historical take on the border that separates Rwanda from Congo, prompted by the resurgent M23 rebellion. “The borders that were drawn during colonial times had our countries divided,” he said. “A big part of Rwanda was left outside, in eastern Congo, in southwestern Uganda and so forth and so forth. You have populations in these parts of other countries who have a Rwandese background. But they are not Rwandans, they are citizens of those countries that have absorbed those parts of Rwanda in the colonial times. So this is a fact. It is a fact of history…And these people have been denied their rights.”
While there was no explicit territorial claim in his proposition, it was interpreted in Congolese circles as a desire to redraw the borders of Rwanda and to annex part of the Congo. This interpretation is not wholly unsurprising given a longer history of such territorial claims in Rwandan public discourses going back to at least the First Congo War in 1996-1998. Moreover, it feeds into Congolese fears of ‘balkanisation’: the idea that Rwanda (and sometimes Uganda) are out to annex a part of Congolese territory in order to benefit from its natural resources to the detriment of the Congolese. The battle on the ground in North Kivu is thus extended as a battle of words, in which history has become a weapon in power struggles over identity and geopolitics.
While, in Rwanda, these historical arguments go back to the period before German and Belgian colonisers divided the region amongst themselves, in Congo these arguments use imperial claims as well the principle of the intangibility of African borders as stipulated by the Organization of African Unity in 1964. Eminent Congolese historian Isidore Ndaywel è Nziem, for instance, retorted that instead of Rwanda having lost out to Congo, the opposite was true: “As far as the Rwandan-Congolese borders are concerned, there is no ambiguity. If we go back to the first map of the region…of 1885, it is Congo that has land to reclaim from Rwanda, and not the other way round, because on this initial map, the western part of Rwanda was Congolese”.
The scramble for maps
Yet, it was precisely these maps – there were three of them – that caused the ambiguity. They had been drawn by Europeans who only had knowledge of a lake at an approximate location; no European had set foot in the Kivu area before 1894. The first map, produced by the Germans in 1884, in the context of the Berlin Conference claimed the border was in fact located on what is today Congolese territory. One of the other maps divided Rwanda almost in half to add it to the Congo Free State. It is the existence of these different maps that led to disagreements between European powers thus provoking the Kivu border conflict between Germany and the Congo Free State and, from 1908 onwards, Belgium. It was only in 1910 that European powers came to an agreement, and on the ground the border was only demarcated in 1911.
My argument here is not that the current borders should be redrawn, nor that I know where the ‘right’ border could or should have been – the problem is more with what these borders did and do, than with where they were drawn. I am also not interested either in trying to explain whether a certain place was ‘Rwandan’ or ‘Congolese’ at a particular time. As I argue in my forthcoming book, this question is impossible to answer: not only did ‘Congo’ only come into existence as a political entity as a result of this colonial border-making; we also have to be clear what we mean when we say ‘Rwanda’, and how we define it.
‘Every historical fact is open to multiple interpretations’
Indeed, ‘Rwanda’ existed as a kingdom for over a hundred years before colonization. However, it would be wrong to think that we can understand what it was then by looking at it now. What ‘Rwanda,’ meant was never static: in terms of its identity, geography, and political structure, it varied dramatically over time. Current debates about this border are political. Every historical ‘fact’ is open to multiple interpretations, and those interpretations are a manifestation of other, political tensions. So there can likely never be an end – a final, ‘true’ historical interpretation – that ends the debate over the border.
Contrary to much popular belief in Congo, people speaking Kinyarwanda – those we would call today ‘Hutu’, as well as ‘Tutsi’ – lived within the boundaries of what is today the Congo, long before Europeans decided on dividing the continent amongst themselves in 1885. In Rutshuru for example, they had their own land – often marked by the ficus-tree of their ancestors -, their own forms of socio-political organization, and their own leaders – ‘Hutu’ as well as ‘Tutsi’, depending on the locality. In South-Kivu as well, they were present. Today, according to Congolese law they are Congolese – but some Congolese politicians cast doubt on their citizenship, and many Congolese contest it.
But could these places and communities therefore be considered ‘Rwandan’? On this count, it depends on who you would have asked. There was more than one possible answer to this question back then, and that answer depended on the context, and what you mean exactly by ‘Rwandan’. Rwandan historian Emmanuel Ntezimana for example distinguished ‘being Rwandan’ culturally [ikinyarwanda]—a cultural community—from “political facts and military events” – ‘being Rwandan’ politically. In the current Rwandan nation-state these two indeed coincide, but this has not always been the case. Not all Kinyarwanda-speakers have always been included in the Rwandan kingdom. Nor have all those linked or included in the Rwandan kingdom always been necessarily of Rwandan culture – they often had origins elsewhere.
Many of the clans in Bugoyi for instance, around what today is called Rubavu in Rwanda, – just across the border from Goma – claimed their descendance in Gishari, in the mountains of DRC’s Masisi territory. Today we would probably call these people ‘Hunde’ and nobody casts doubt on the ‘Congolese-ness’ of Hunde people. The rulers of the small Bukunzi kingdom – Mbirizi – in Rwanda’s current-day Rusizi district, claimed their origins in Bushi, in DRCs South Kivu. Even until the beginning of the twentieth century, many communities today in Rwanda’s frontier areas defended some kind of independence vis-à-vis the kingdom. And, for many people in western Rwanda, ‘Rwandan’ national identity would never have been the only nor most important label people identified themselves with in the nineteenth century. For many it was regional and/or clan-identities that were most important.
While some would like to frame this defense of political independence as a Tutsi/Hutu divide, they are mistaken. The best example of this are part of the group we call nowadays Banyamulenge: mainly of ‘Tutsi’ origin, they fled the violence of the Rwandan state. Back then they were ‘culturally’ Rwandan yes, but politically they wanted to be independent. ‘Rwandan’ in one sense, then, but not in the other when they moved; and today Congolese. Hence the incongruence of projecting current identities and nationalities into the past when the meanings of these labels were fundamentally different or contested back then.
Some inconvenient pre-colonial truths
Another way history is sometimes used to express territorial aspirations within Rwanda, is to refer to its military prowess. For this, it is relevant to go back to the last three decades of the nineteenth century, during mwami Rwabugiri’s reign (r. 1867-1895), one of Rwanda’s most infamous bami. It was also during his reign that the western part of what is nowadays Rwanda became much more firmly integrated into the Rwandan kingdom. Rwabugiri is also known by lakeside people both on the western and eastern shores, because of his military campaigns. On the western shores – present-day Congo – most of them did not result in long-lasting occupation. For Bushi and Idjwi for example we know that most Rwandans associated with these military campaigns had left – were chased away – before even the Europeans occupied the area.
For what is nowadays Rutshuru (DRC) on the other hand, we know that more successful attempts of territorial occupation had been undertaken: Rwabugiri had constructed courts in several places in the area – even one in today’s military camp in Rumangabo for example. There, he leaned on local rulers – ‘Hutu’ as well as ‘Tutsi’ – to levy taxes, and these rulers were listening to his orders “from a distance”, maintaining links, while keeping a relatively autonomous position. And in other ways, society in Rutshuru differed from that in the heartland of the Rwandan kingdom.
The fundamental question is not – or should not be – whether these events took place, but how they are recounted today and the meanings attributed to them. In Rwanda, these histories are often triumphant renderings of the power and might of the Rwandan kingdom. But they omit the contestations of this power within these areas under (in)direct control. They also leave out that it did not mean that because some of these principalities had accepted alliances and/or delegates from the Rwandan kingdom, that all land and people in between these islands of (in)direct control had accepted Rwandan overlordship. Resistance continued until the turn of the twentieth century. Resistance rallying around the Nyabingi cults in the region that nowadays forms the Rwanda, Congo and Uganda border triangle not only targeted European colonialism but also (delegates from) the Rwandan kingdom. Caravans bringing tribute to the Rwandan mwami were often attacked – a political act.
What colonial boundaries fixed – and what they divided
Before the Westphalian system of (colonial) borders fixed the limits of political power in those spaces ‘for eternity’ (or at least until the downfall of the current state-system), state-formation was a continuous and ongoing process accompanied by territorial expansion as well as retraction; integration as well as disintegration; and changing alliances. Claims that borders should have to be drawn based on a contested situation in the nineteenth century are thus based on a snapshot of a particular time, only consider one perspective, and erase contestations. What colonial borders did was to fix forms of territoriality that had been less permanent before, and that were not necessarily unilaterally accepted. Projecting back such fixity on a pre-colonial past is thus anachronistic.
Finally, the colonial border did not only divide those ‘being Rwandan’ culturally from each other. It also divided communities who might not have shared the same language and culture, but who nevertheless had very similar cultural practices. They were furthermore tied together through kinship, bloodpacts, and commercial links – and they often provided refuge to each other in times of trouble, even before the arrival of the Europeans. While Rwabugiri’s campaigns are easily mobilized today in order to ‘prove’ that Rwanda is Congo’s natural enemy, this hides internal struggles in, for instance, the Bushi region. More importantly, it also hides the histories of connections and solidarity across the fluid boundaries of communities around lake Kivu.
Colonial borders are a tangible inheritance of the violent, racist and extractive system that colonialism was. They made ethnic as well as national identities more rigid and exclusive. Moreover, Belgian colonialism contributed to shaping the perception of Kinyarwanda-speakers, and especially Tutsi, as ‘eternal immigrants’ in Congo. But there is a reason why the Organization of African Union decided in 1964 on the intangibility of African borders. Today, there are no straightforward historical arguments which can justify that the Rwandan-Congolese border should be redrawn. Who could govern where, and on what basis that authority was based, was contested already back then, and not only now. It is a political, not a historical question. The concept of being ‘Congolese’ did not exist at the time these borders were drawn. The concept of being ‘Rwandan’ did exist, but did not necessarily mean the same thing, or did not mean the same thing everywhere throughout those areas today claimed and/or considered ‘Rwandan’. Arguing about ‘who belongs where’ today by projecting these contemporary identities back into the past before borders were demarcated makes little sense. What these identities mean today is – at least partially – a product of these borders, and not the other way around.
Ugandans of Rwandan extraction have never had challenges in their Ugandan citizenship, but this is contrary to what is happening in DRC. Once people feel discriminated.. chances are high for them to revolt.
I believe that you are one of the Rwanda people who tries to make the history like Kagame does. You pretend to be a doctor, do you know how many people Congo lose from Kagame since 1996. Do you count how many claims Kagame made to enter in Congo to steal the minerals. Since there is no doors like in the previous time, Kagame wants to make his own story, but remember no Congolese will let even one meter of Congo to be part of Rwanda. Kagame is not alone, there are people around all of this scenario.
Please if you want to understand the true history of The border of DR Congo and Rwanda, try to read the Book of Ambassadeur Jean Baptiste Murairi which explain exactly the truth without discrimination. Les Bahundes aux pieds du volcans Nyiragongo.
You can’t publish what you want without consulting main people Who are from there and Who wrote books about that région. You don’t know any thing please
Si njo
Thank you for your narrative on what I will call the greater manipulator of the great lake and the rest the world , when all the lies are expired , never ceases to create stories, media initiative, to persuade the world of it lies. Why now the claim of land? When openly one continue to deny a direct in involvement into the misery of Congolese to benefit one small country, the sad part is that nations get deceived, media get manipulated, institutions trap with the greater manipulator.In everything there is an end for everyone, everything, every lies all in one way to another , there is an expiring date for everything under the sun . I wish the world will rise under divine awakening that open the eyes of men and women to fear God , and surrender to Thier maker.Lies is part vanity venture that end as vanity of vanity.
A very insightful narration of the impact of colonialism on the socio- political and cultural fabric of the African societies.The resultant effect is the emergence of insatiable leaders imbued with hegemonist tendencies of expansionism .
Mate, I firmly believe as born again Christian that every single thing Kagame he is saying is completely umbwenge ( false allegations), do you know that the Rwandese, could be Tutsi or hutu are all the same and they vision or life projection or even let’s break it down, they are the sort of people that always play victims but instead they are the one one killing others, see specialy the so called Tutsi genocide, are guys really believe in that false accusation if Kagame towards hutu? As we all known it never been a genocide so called Tutsi in rwanda by hutu, it’s was FPR of kagame mainly Tutsi predominant group that killed they own so they have a pretext to grab power in Rwanda.
Listen, could you ask yourself a question why the countries that backed Kagame to commit that dreadful scenario, they don’t called it Tutsi genocide but instead simple genocide, I mean USA, Great Britain, Canada, Belgium, it’s very sime because the hold the truth and so all the silly killing was to exploit DRC minerals through rwanda, okay, why don’t Kagame not claiming part of so called land from Uganda? Just Congo?
Do you know museveni is Tutsi as well as Kagame?
We are Bantous, very soon we are going to kick out every single Rwandese, Ugandese,Kenya that definitely, we are going to that . We know them, like Hypolite kanambe (Joseph kabila), ruberwa, and the rests.
Thank you dear Gillian Mathys for starting this debate about the Congo-Rwanda borders. A debate that is ongoing and causing hundreds of Congolese victims everyday and since more than two decades now.
In fact, before talking about the present borders you should say where those countries come from, how they have been built to reach the present shapes and what is the aim of the ongoing conflict in the region accordingly. Before the colonial Era, African people were organized in communities around a King and the size of each kingdom varied according to many factors like alliances, military campaigns and trades existing between families, chiefs, kings and their people. For the Great Lake Region, the Kingdom of Rwanda that existed only in the north what is the Kigali area, expanded later on to the West up to The Nyabarongo River in the Nyungwe Forest. All the military campaign Rwandan tried to expand beyond stayed unsuccessful because of the Nande, Hunde and Bashi people resistance. Rwabugiri the most powerful Rwandan King was even killed on the Kivu Lake trying to invade the Bushi. His sister Myabwera who was married by a mushi Prince was murdered the same at what is now Nyawera market in Bukavu where she left her name. For recall, to expand their territory, Rwandan have always used ruse, alliance and military activities as for today in Congo. The Free State of the Congo, The Belgian Congo, The Zaire Republic and Democratic Republic of the Congo that we will call the Congo, to reach its present shape territory and borders, has instead been made by adding lands from many kingdoms and tribal lords. After the 1885 Berlin Conference that designed African Countries borders, The Congo has been recognized as a common home for the people had their land in. No land had been brought in by Rwandan. Therefore, there is no rwandan who should claim a land in Congo as there is no natural Rwandan Congolese. Moreover, the land of Rubavu District in Rwanda that belonged to the Hunde people and the Rusizi District up to the Nyabarongo River that belonged to the Bashi people who both Hunde and Bashi became Congolese, those lands should return to the Congo Administration. Those lands have been amputated to the Congo and given to Germany by Belgium following a 1912 agreement without consent or even consulting their local owners. So, if there is one of Congo or Rwanda who have a claims about the land or the present borders, The Congo should have many. The current ongoing war or conflict that has caused more than ten million of dead and as many rapes of children and women since 1996 is a due to three main reasons : the need of expansion for Rwanda to contain its demographic explosion, the desire of Rwanda and Uganda to control the natural resources of the Congo mainly in the East and, the weaknesses of the Congolese leadership undermined with corruption, tribalism, nepotism and clientelism leaving the country with an aspect of a no man’s land. Rwandan population, who have immigrated throughout years and many of them having been relocated as refugees of different wars in their native Rwanda, are used to be opposed to local and host populations. Having lived for many years in a place doesn’t grant them the right to claim the land ownership, even as many as they can be. These fact are known by the world’s superpowers USA, Great Britain, Canada, EU and France but they continue to support Rwanda by fuelling the crime in the Region. Congolese will fight for this matter whatever happens and wherever they’ll be.
A discussion on Congo-Rwands borders cannot be of any meaning if won’t include a page from Rwandas eastern border with the then Tanganyika. Historical facts and commercial ties very much put Rwanda as an integral part of Tanganyika and its later Nation State of Tanzania.
Vous semblez vous pencher beaucoup plus du côté du Rwanda, oubliant qu’en RDC nous avons aussi des historiens et nous connaissons aussi bien plus que vous notre propre histoire et que nous n’avons nullement besoin d’une réécriture de l’histoire de notre pays par un quelconque étranger animé ou motivé par un sentiment rwandais ou alors payé par le pouvoir rwandais ou ses alliés occidentaux, notamment la France, l’Angleterre, les USA, le Canada qui l’entêtent et l’entraînent dans une guerre insensée dans laquelle il sortira perdant.
Je vous invite à interroger les archives de UNHCR et du CICR pour mieux comprendre l’origine des populations d’expression rwandaise au Congo. En plus, vous devriez consulter aussi les ordonnances présidentielles sur la nationalité congolaise, zaïroise à l’époque signée pendant le règne de Mobutu pendant la période où il avait un directeur de cabinet d’origine rwandaise, en la personne de Bisengimana. Une fois ces deux sources consultées, vous devriez descendre dans différentes cours royales des chefferies coutumières des territoires congolais frontaliers avec le Rwanda. Je suis certain qu’après cette gymnastique intellectuelle à laquelle je vous invite, vous changerez le contenu de votre publication ou carrément vous abandonnerez votre entreprise, parce qu’elle semble être tendancieuse.
Je vous rappelle que chaque peuple a son histoire, et le peuple congolais dans sa diversité en a une, et aucune personne de l’extérieur soit-elle ne maîtrise l’histoire du peuple congolais plus que que le congolais lui-même. Revenez donc à la source de l’histoire pour vous y abreuver si vous voulez que votre entreprise ou mieux votre publication soit digne de foi.
Paul Kagame don’t know nothing about history, what he learned in his life, is to shoot and kill innocent people. Who is Kagame history teacher???? No one . He needs to go back to school and to learn more about his country.
Hi Dr. Mathys. Thats a good read. I think kagame has lost alot M23& Paul Rusesabagina so he has now become petty because he has been blocked form congo minerals where he was getting money so he is just now picking fights for no reasons. Africans before colonialists come had no boundaries as nations but just small territorial demacations ..but africa was free, its only the colonialists who brought boundaries to mark their territories during the scramble and partition of Africa and aftermath Berlin conference of 1884-1885.
The late singer Bob Marley sung African unite and even sun for freedom in southern Africa afrian only enjoyed his songs but never looked at the meaning it is really shameful of African i wish Bob Marley could walked up and see what leaders like Mugabe kagame mobutu and other congolese leaders have distorted africa from joseph maths statistics economics and finance dr congo African leaders are full of lies congolese leaders and Ramadan leaders are very crooked this is the reason there is no peace in dr congo
Il n’est l’ombre d’aucun doute que seule l’évolution des peuples, des hommes sous entendu, est dynamique. Les États du monde sont justifiés par une boulimie d’hommes ou des femmes charismatiques qui en soumettant leurs congénères les organiserent tant bien que mal. Lever l’impôt sans administrer était une allégeance à un chef qui, comme aujourd’hui, manifestait une intention et pour la protection des siens, les chefs s’obligeaient à entretenir des relations protectrices amicales non autrement définies. Ce n’était point un assujettissement ou une reconnaissance d’autorité.
Le Bwisha dont les populations, à l’instar de Béni, Lubero, Masisi, Walikale et le Burega, venues de l’Ouganda pour la plupart n’ont aucunement de parenté au Rwanda hormies certaines familles venues pour se soustraire à la famine qui justifia la transplantation dans le Masisi par la MIB (Migration des Banyarwanda.
L’aventure de Rwabiguri fût un fiasco et il fut obligé de se replier. Autrement, il ne s’est jamais établi durablement sur les terres aujourd’hui réclamées.
Par contre, à la suite de ces croisades on ne peut nier que nombreux sujets rwandais qui découvraient une existence au-delà des horizons par eux considérer comme seul univers existentiel ( URWANDA) n’hesiterent pas de s’expatrier et se mettre à l’abri de la férocité caractérielle, emporta avec eux les us et coutumes qui étaient les leurs. Ainsi, trouvant des peuples (hundes et hutus) pacifiques qui les accueillaient sans arrière pensée.
De la même manière, sans calculs aucuns, Kisase Ngandu et LD Kabila, dans un passé proche crurent bon de s’allier aux rwandais et ougandais pour libérer du Zaïre du régime présenté comme une dictature. Il nous a fallut du temps pour comprendre que derrière une alliance opportune se cache un plan minutieusement préparé dans une marmite anglo-saxone revêtue d’une couche non dévoilée.
There’s nothing Rwanda can claim from Congo!!
Kagame is a bid liar and criminal.he needs to be arrested for the crimes of 10 millions people who have lost their lives in DRC.
Historically Goma, Bukavu and MASISI were in Rwanda before colonization. So, even if it’s in RDC nowadays, Rwanda doesn’t fight to Conquer it’s historical Region. M23 rebels are all Congolese by Nationality and are Rwandan by Culture due to the history. DRC has to manage its issues alone and don’t think that our Country Rwanda will interfere in handling you struggles
What were people like Bosco ntanganda, Laurent nkuda doing in DRC and they both came from Rwanda?m23 are rwandese financed by kagame and museveni in a mission to balcanize DRC coz of the minerals in Eastern congo that’s the entire region of Kivu province.
I do agree and disagree with this article. It’s close to impossible of delimiting the borders set in the 19th century. Also the i highly doubt borders back then did exist (at least in the way the West defines it). So in short this is a non-discussion to have at all.
On the other hand, sovereignty (and this is applicable for a lot of Central states) has been defined in those region by foreign powers and the borders have been drawn based on commercial bases. When you take the entire period going on from 1910 there has been no real peace or real democracy. As such the government sovereignty is solely based on colonial and post colonial rules. We all know about the excesses of Mobutu and all the presidents and regimes that followed. On the same line we also know the entire context in Rwanda during independence (with the assassination of the Tutsi King and the exode of the Tutsi that followed. Keeping in mind the role of the Belgian government in that assassination and the consecutive delimitation of the borders in 1964. The best assessment of this act would be to portray it as a joke.
With this in mind, aside for the sovereignty defined by western powers or/and the commercial interrests, why should a Congolese Tutsi recognize that government. It simply lacks causality or even any (real) constitutional argument. The problem facing that region, as most countries in that area, are the socio economic and political decisions made during that time. From any rational point of view, it doesn’t make any sense attributing a region bigger than West Europe to a minority based on the other hand of the continent.
A truth that is also hard to hear, is that a government sovereignty is not guaranteed by simple decree in an international institution, but it’s also bound by nature’s law. Namely the innate duty of a government to guarantee security and life to its citizens.
You know as well as me, that this has never been the case in Congo since it’s independence and if we take into account the decree of Mobutu taking the citizenship away from the Tutsi in East Congo, then it becomes clear why borders should be redrawn.
Another truth that is hard to hear, is that there is no Congolese state. The model decided in 1964 has failed (honestly it should never have happened) and many Central African countries have been subjected to recurrent civil wars and a growing nbr of states have simply lost control big chunks of their territory (See Central Africa, Tchad, Guinea, Mali) and it’s just a matter of time before the rest will follow this path. Looking at the current political and economic landscape in DR Congo it’s just a matter of time for it to follow the same path. I mean on a population of 100M, there are only 15 million registered workers and 70% of those work for the state.
So yes, if ethnical groups can’t get along in one country, within that context it is their absolute right to have territorial ambitions. Let’s see one citizen in Europe or in your own country that would accept living under those conditions. So let’s throw these concepts of sovereignty where in a garbage bin and let’s try to find solutions for the people that live there.
@RICHARD, what do Kenyans have to do with any of these? And what exactly does you being a Christian have anything to do with what you just said? You are a dangerous type of people that believes they are righteous, you will happily birth hate and light fire wherever you walk into. Everything you touch burns. Remember everyone is a narcist, all humans are selfish and the more you believe you are not, the more you are. Be better.
Our study team had to visit Eastern Congo and Rwanda to try to understand in depth the conflict and community issues with Rwanda. We were able to understand the following: 1. the Bushi Kingdom in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has its traditional boundaries with the Nyungwe forest in present-day Rwanda. 2. the Hunde Kingdom had territories as far as Kisenyi, present-day Gisenyi in Rwanda. 3. about twenty small Hutu kingdoms existed in the territory of present-day Rwanda before and during the colonial period. There was only one small kingdom ruled by the Tutsis. These small kingdoms would have been gradually annexed to the Tutsi kingdom with the help of the German colonist, then the Belgian colonist with the last Hutu resistance kinglet assassinated in 1957, one of the great preludes to the first genocide in Rwanda in 1959.
We aim to further Ben Cahoon’s studies. These sistematic assassinations of the Hutu kinglets were the basis for the migration of their descendants to southern Uganda and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where they settled in the 1910s for the most part and others came with the settlers for road construction work. Subsequently, others joined theirs in search of tyranny, refusing to submit to the new monarchs as well.
If the Bashi and Hunde claim it is Rwanda that loses 70% of its territory.
Link to Ben study https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Rwanda_hutu.html
It’ all about facts.
Thank you
Really, you are crazy and lier…Do you think we can believe on what you are talking..Fake doctor, you don’t know no things..We will never agree to give even 1cm of our territory to Rwanda..Banyawanda are rwanda citoyen and why say that there are Congolese..not true..if mafia give money to publish lies, we are very sorry…Europe, in few time Will disappear
So the question remains: does Tshisekedi really want them to help bring peace, or he has other ulterior motives? Tshisekedi’s agenda is to keep the conflict in his country ongoing, and therefore postpone elections, which will effectively make him stay in power much longer. The Congolese know very well, they say, that he cannot win an election.
But derailing the peace processes, and especially forcing the regional force out is not the right way to go.
Although President Kagame’s statements do not contain an explicit land claim, it was interpreted in Congolese circles as a desire to redraw the borders of Rwanda and to annex part of the Congo to turn people away from their myseries.
Congolese politicians try all their best to feed their conspiracy theory of ‘balkanisation’: the idea that Rwanda (and sometimes Uganda) are out to annex a part of Congolese territory in order to benefit from its natural resources to the detriment of the Congolese. At each forthcoming election, Congolese politicians only carry out this propaganda.
RWANDA IS A FAJE AND TOTALY FAKE IN ALL… BUT THE FUTURE IS NEAR WHEN ALL THE LIES TOLD AND MANUPULAED WILL COME TO AN END—
For now Kagame ça rejoice but at any time it will be bitter… This guy is even placing his rwandese guys in many African countries and later what will happen those rwandese born on those countries will claim to from that country and claim power with the ties of Rwanda. Kagame must know Africans are not stupid like thinks, in fact he should be stupid for killing the millions of Congolese and attempting of grabbing lands of Congo to make his country producer of minerals… Kagame must know all these will come to an end and Africa will rise as it should without his tricks of Visit Rwanda a country of tricks… There is no lack Kivu of Rwanda.. Lake Kivu is in Congo fully,
You journalists they are paying you in corruption to come tells lies in the news paper… Is this journalist has been in Congo or has studied the history of Congo… Such nonsense in the news paper are baseless and useless and it is all about the clientelisme and corruption of the murderer and war criminal Kagame… He is not smart but stupid!!! He has the blood of millions of Congolese in his hands, Kagame Assassin and professional liar!!!
The wish of redrawing borders is not from Rwanda.
This is another way of covering DRC leadership.
The leaders have to ensure the security control of all the DRC.
This is to ignore and to cover 260 milices operating in DRC, and the lack of ownership of DRC leadership.
Cheap propaganda from DRC, Rwanda will never reclaim the land that was given to the DRCongo by the colonialists, Rwanda rather request the DRC to grant rights and freedoms to people who were placed within Congolese borders as a result of colonisation.
Every country in Africa has that issue of colonialism dividing people of the same culture and traditions according to their needs at that time, for instance Kenya and Tanzania there are different tribes found in both side of the border Luo and masaai are good example but that is not the excuse to want things that can cause unrest to the region
This article is a bunch opinions from a person who claims to know or to be something that they have very little knowledge of, respectfully.
First, I’m curious to know how one obtains the title of “Great Lake Region Historian?” How? I think I’m going to write an opinion based article and claim such a title for myself as well.
Second, omitting the U.N.’s report that implicates Kagame with backing M23 leaves out a much needed context as to why the “Tutshi-Power-members are claiming Congolese territories with made up historical facts.
Finally, Congo has 9 neighboring countries, whom underwent colonial tragedies as well; however, only one country has gone as far as Backing a rebel group in order to kill and create chaos in an entire region … that country is Rawnda; ruled under ‘King-Kagame’s regime …this is a fact! (In my Kagame voice)
If there may be anything close to what president Paul Kagame of Rwanda is saying regarding borders, why would he like going to war than (1) seizing the International Justice Court, or (2) inviting officially the UN to organize a referendum in what he can define as a contested territory? War never resolve a border situation: ex.: Chad – Libya, Nigeria – Cameroon, Thailand – Cambodia, USA – Mexico, Mali -Burkina Faso, and so on.
Definitely, Rwanda under Paul Kagame is arrogantly with a lot of lies behaving like if only the kingdom of Rwanda existed in the Great Lakes region of Africa before european colonisation.
Rwanda expanded its borders to lake Kivu in 1860, by Rwabugiri. Earlier before, the Havu ethnic group abandoned their lands on what would become Rwanda to immigrate west and occupaying the Idjwi island (and all other small islands in lake Kivu including Gihaya, Ihyo and Nkombo today is Rwanda),
and the Kalehe territory on the west shore of the lake.
So, before the colonial agreement between Belgium, Germany and the UK on defining and tracing borders from lake Tanganyika to Sudan in 1910/1911 (« Accords diplomatiques de 1910 à 1911 »), Rwanda was bordering many kingdoms, including the buShi, the buHavu, the buHunde on the DRCongo side.
Before making such declarations as u narrate here, you needed to make research on history and also go back bfr the white arrived Rwanda was not part of Kongo and its congo who lost land when belgian arrived to rwanda bcse ulundi existed already with their land wich we call to day Burundi, Rwanda existed for hutu and to accommodate Tutsis a peace of kongo land was added to rwanda for that sake. This is a battle wich even Lumumba patrice stood to defend, and secure kongo ressources at all cost.
Kagama has no rigth to kill kongo people to above 6 millions with a lie on Land , he use to beg president Mobutu for help , no gold and caciterites mineral has ever been in rwanda , since the belgian congo we all know of bananas, and Agriculture by hutus and tutsi farming cows etc…..
Big is the conspiracies that kagame instigated against Drcongo supported by usa under bill cliton , Obama and biden , you will notice that everytime democrats are in power in usa the war at the east of congo will escalate, bill cliton even vowed bfr leaving power L.D kabila will be no more and what happend kabila was shot dead trough Rwanda implicattions and their agenda to loot Drcongo minerals escalated until to day.
The creator will defend congo himself and that is soon, God shall bless our friends and deal with our ennemis.
Kind regards
Rwanda is free to speak it’s opinion… False or true…
We can’t argue about it. Congolese also can say a part Angola, Zambia, Congo Brazza, RCA, Rwanda and Burundi was a part of Kongo kingdom.. And claim it.
They are unfortunately using their people for discrimination and hypocrisy. First they refute they’re not financing rebellion, second they say they are fighting to get back they land in congo… Crazy stuff.
What they don’t tell you DR Congo has over 500 tribes why only 1 would be a target as they Rwandans claim? While only 2 are in Rwanda and can’t live together in harmony.
It’s time congolese starts speaking their truth. Just do it guys.
That’s crazy and insane.
Rwanda claims to the territories in DRC go back to 16th century ubder king Ruganzu II Ndoli. It does not start with just Kigeli IV Rwabugili. There territories governance might have been different. Rwabugili had a punitive expedition to restore order and get rid of rebelious pockets. President Kagame did not ask dor borders to be redrawn, he empasized that people’ rights should be respected since they joined DRC with the territories and issues started to raise when the whole of DRC embrassed the genocide ideology from fugitive genocidaires. I also want to empasize that Rwanda does not loot any minerals from Congo. Congolese loot their own country. As for getting rid of the tutsis, Rwanda is more than prepared and waiting for that
Dear Colleagues,
We are very surprised to heard what , the President Paul Kagame is telling the world.
Since 1994, from the beginning of the fake genocide which he invented, we heard that he did come in DRC under United Nation permission. In 2014, President PK was requested by the USA to take out its troops from the DRC soil which he did claim to follow genocide plotters to avoid them back to Rwanda. We have a testimony from a Hutu Church who are in refuge in Cameroon. The pastor claimed that President PK was laying the international community while he know what he has done with the situation in the country. In 2017, a British Business man has published an article from Time News Paper; James Boss said that the President PK is taking all the Western for stupid. All those arguments have raise concern among the research community to understand what was the mobile of the war.
Some observations in the region have noticed that President PK was developing a discrimination in the country where he has increased a supremacy of people Tutsi over the Hutu in the country, imposing to the country to covert Rwanda to an English speaking country after joining the commonwealth community.
We observe that the President PK all this war time in the East of the DRC, he was claimed about a national war in DRC which was not did have any Rwandan government involvement.
After the actual government of the DRC has claimed that the Rwandan government was in the origin of the war in the East of DRC by providing strategies, resources and materials to the army groups M23. This discovery has helped the government of DRC to arrest many spies and the chef spy who was sitting in the DRC parliament to manage Rwandan government affairs in the DRC soils. This Spy Master, Edward Mwangashushu is a close friend to the President PK who was managing all the mining sites Rwandan in DRC of rare minerals products. This spy works directly for the Rwandan government and supply war equipment to the M23, army group. This arrest has revealed many things. The surprising site of this affaire has surprised all African people to see, if the West stands pleading for this criminal who has causing death to more than 15 million of Congolese by the Rwandan army. In the house of this Spy was found different type of war guns. As it is bring to light, how the Rwandan was operating in the East of DRC, this matter has brought President PK to the end. You can understand why the reason for PK to from change its reason of entering in war in the East of DRC. All Tutsi community are denying that they never ask PK to defend their causes, because they have not any issue living in their hosted country. We have heard many version of this war, but the reason is PK want to still mineral in the East of DRC where was discovered pyrochlore, this mineral helps to build resistant material again heat. This material can help to observe near the sun, because Scientists can build metrology equipment to collect data under high heat.
Paul Kagame is a young generation who has grew in the refugee camp with less education opportunity, he has not any knowledge to evidence to claim for borders dispute. Rwanda nation has a huge number of intellectuals before PK as now, we never heard a such claim of this kind. We have heard His Majesty King Philip of Belgium claiming that, It is Rwanda who needs to give back land to DRC, Is a King can raise up to mislead the world, I don’t think so. Collette Brown, a CNN journalist has reported the same version . I think the version of PK lacks evidences, but this pan Africanist is putting oil in the fire to destroy African Union or regional relationship. After that DRC government has blocked illegal mining site in DRC , this fact has brought Rwanda down, this mafia is end, this why PK has started to claim the land. This is a unrealistic claim which is bowed by the wind. Now, we can notice that a rebel person cannot drive the nation in a very constructive way, if also the region as wider. How many people died from this war? Who will pay all the damages?
What Kagame trying to do in Congo is political demand, what behind the screen is to exploit the resources in Congo and resale to Europe. However on the other hand the government of Congo has shown very big weakness to control his territory.
M23 is under the support of Kagame and his allies , I advice the Congolese government to sick for support from Russia under Wagner PMC group to stabilise the region
Congo must respect rwandophones us their citizens and share everything in country like others tribes and not divide them depends to their languages and cultures,if not congo problems will not ever resolved by the wars
Socio-economic realities of to-day in relation to North and South Kivu are that these regions are more integrated into the East Africa region than Central/Francophone Central Africa. Traffic flows, relief goods, commercial mining equipment etc. are accessed via East African ports of Mombasa or Dar-es-Salaam. The railway to KIgoma was a lifeline for the DRC. It makes economic sense for the Kivus to be leased on a 50 year to Rwanda but remain de jure property of the DRC.
Kagame will regret his life, “we will populate your soil and we will ensure your greatness”: soon we will put it into practice, without nuclear power but we will crush the great powers: God almighty and our ancestors are still there with us.
dixit mfumu kibangu, lumumba, p.mulele etc…
Bla bla bla, pitoyable! Incapable de résoudre 1 problème, mais se fourvoyer dans la rhétorique stérile !
Aucune revendication sur vos terres, rassurez-vous…
Mais de grâce, montrez-vous à la hauteur de procéder à la resolution d’un drame existentiel qui se pose à votre pays depuis tant de temps!
I completely don’t understand the understandings of borders in Africa. But one thing I will say is that if there was no colonies in Africa our countries would be happy.
It’s true indeed that the DRC didn’t exist as such before the arrival of European explorers in the area. However, even if Rwanda existed at that time and not as it is today, it should be acknowledged that the what is now the DRC was already occupied by several African precolonial kingdoms and that almost the entire actual North Kivu was the territory of the Federal Kingdom of the Bahunde including Goma, Masisi, Rutshuru, Nyondo, Gisenyi, etc. So it’s clear that it’s the Bahunde people who then lost and now the Congolese people who lost part of their land to Rwanda. So it’s better to do further research on this particular point as it would be unfortunate if this particular contested finding is used by some Banyarwanda claiming to be Banyamasisi and Banyarutshuru to boost their claim as Congolese of origin despite the fact that unlike the Bahunde, they came there during the Belgian era to work in European farms under the Program of Immigration of Banyarwanda (PIB).
Thanks Gillian, I though also liked Germain’s analysis…it was captivating as it was thorough. Paul Kagame and his ilks have to come to the realization that gone are the times when absolutism was the weapon of governance. He should come to the realization and those of his kind cannot reinvent the wheel…. Kagame has been at the helm of Rwanda for close to 30 years… but he can’t guarantee the peace of Rwandans later on that of the Tutsi without returning and focusing on the tenets of democracy…. Democracy might not be the panacea to Rwanda but it could be its necessary evil for survival