RNC Extends Its Sympathies To The Banyamulenge Community, Condemns War-Inciting Statements By Reaf President Tito Rutaremara, Demands Rwandan Government Clarification

August 17, 2026

On the occasion of the 22 nd commemoration of the Gatumba massacre, the Rwanda National Congress (RNC) extends its deepest sympathies to the Banyamulenge community and all those who lost loved ones in this tragedy. We respectfully honor the victims of these horrific crimes and firmly hope that the perpetrators will face justice.

However, the RNC strongly condemns the inflammatory statements inciting war and manipulating the Banyamulenge’s identity that were made during this commemoration on August 13, 2026, by Mr. Tito Rutaremara, Chairperson of the Rwanda Elders Advisory Forum (REAF). REAF’s official mission is to advise the government on national topical issues, political orientation, good governance, and justice.

Indeed, in his speech, Mr. Rutaremara openly called on young Banyamulenge to take up arms and attack the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). He told them unequivocally: “Rise up, take up arms, go and help those who are there, and liberate Congo.” Moreover, Mr. Rutaremara engaged in insidious manipulation by telling the Banyamulenge: “You are Congolese Rwandans.”

The RNC considers these calls for war extremely dangerous. They have the potential to derail the ongoing peace process aimed at ending a thirty-year war that has ravaged the DRC and claimed over ten million innocent lives. More specifically, they are in direct contradiction with United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2773 and 2808, the June 27 th , 2025, Washington Peace Agreement brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, and all other regional peace initiatives.

The RNC also considers the identity-based manipulation of the Banyamulenge, as demonstrated by Mr. Rutaremara, to be unacceptable, as its sole purpose is to antagonize Congolese communities in order to better instrumentalize them. The RNC welcomes the fact that the Congolese Minister of Communication, Mr. Patrick Muyaya, directly responded to Mr. Rutaremara’s remarks by stating: “No, the Banyamulenge are not the Rwandans of Congo. They are Congolese, just like all the other communities in our country.”

Given REAF’s influential role in shaping Rwanda’s political landscape, the RNC calls on the Rwandan government to clarify its position regarding Mr. Rutaremara’s statements. The RNC believes that the Rwandan and Congolese populations, alongside all peace advocates, have a right to clarity. They deserve to know whether the REAF Chairperson's statements reflect the official position of President Paul Kagame and the Rwandan government regarding the conflict in the DRC.

Dr Emmanuel Hakizimana Chairman | Rwanda National Congress