The Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Ronald Rwivanga, has criticized what he described as the international community’s delayed recognition of security threats posed by armed groups operating in the Great Lakes region, saying earlier attacks in Rwanda were largely ignored until the killing of Italy’s ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
He made the remarks on April 17, 2026, during a genocide commemoration event held for staff of the Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) and the Office of the Auditor General (OAG), marking 32 years since the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Brig. Gen. Rwivanga cited the 2021 killing of Italian ambassador Luca Attanasio in eastern DRC as a turning point that drew renewed international attention to armed groups such as the FDLR.
Attanasio was killed on February 22, 2021, in an attack that was later attributed by the DRC government to elements linked to the FDLR.
Rwivanga said the incident prompted the international community to acknowledge the FDLR as a terrorist organization, despite what he described as years of denial regarding earlier attacks in Rwanda attributed to the same group and its affiliates.
He argued that attacks carried out in Rwanda by groups such as FLN and RUD-Urunana had previously been dismissed internationally, even though they resulted in civilian casualties and destruction of property.
According to him, the killing of the ambassador led to increased security alerts and travel advisories by foreign missions in parts of eastern DRC, reflecting a shift in global perception of the security situation in the region.
The RDF spokesperson also said that some of the attacks by FLN and RUD-Urunana were aimed not only at causing casualties but also at damaging Rwanda’s international image by portraying the country as insecure.
He emphasized that Rwanda maintains defensive measures as long as the FDLR remains active, arguing that failure to do so would undermine national security as well as key economic sectors such as tourism.
Rwivanga further referenced past cross-border attacks, including mortar shelling incidents in Musanze and Rubavu between 2022 and 2025, as well as earlier FLN attacks in Nyungwe in 2018 and RUD-Urunana attacks in Kinigi in 2019 that left civilians dead and infrastructure destroyed.
He reiterated that Rwanda’s security posture remains a response to persistent threats from armed groups operating in the region.
