The dynamic of religious diplomacy initiated by the Congolese President, Félix Tshisekedi, and masterfully led by his Ambassador-at-Large Antoine Ghonda Mangalibi, is increasingly mobilizing American opinion around the cause of not only peace but also truth, justice, and reparations in the Great Lakes region. It also reveals the actors, and significant ones at that, in this struggle within the heart of the world’s greatest power.
Among these actors, and thanks to this dynamic, Congo Guardian, until now the only Congolese newspaper introduced to and following these interactions, has discovered Christine Coleman, a significant personality in the apparatus of this struggle in the United States of America. A survivor of an exile marked by the tragic loss of two of her brothers during the massacres of Rwandan refugees in 1996, Reverend Christine Coleman has lived in the United States since 1997, where she continues her fight for truth and human dignity.
President of the Rwandan Movement for Democracy (MRD), this pastor and human rights defender holds vivid memories of the dark hours endured by her community, but also of the unreserved hospitality of the Congolese people who, despite their own suffering, shared their homes, their land, and their bread with the refugees.
In a testimony filled with resilience throughout this first part of the interview she granted us, she accuses the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) of being the engine of the violence that has bloodied the Great Lakes region for three decades. And her warning is blunt: as long as this militarized and expansionist system persists, no lasting peace is conceivable.
The path to reconciliation, she states, requires justice, unity of the people, and the dismantling of the hegemonic ideology that fuels wars.
« AS LONG AS THE RPF SYSTEM REMAINS IN PLACE, THERE WILL NEVER BE LASTING PEACE IN THE GREAT LAKE »
Reverend Christine Coleman, would you introduce yourself to our readers and briefly tell your story?
My name is Reverend Christine Coleman. From a young age, I have always been driven by a deep passion for justice and a sincere desire to help others. Very early on, I felt an inner calling to protect the most vulnerable, to defend the oppressed, and to be a voice for the voiceless. My childhood in Rwanda, marked by injustice and hardship, shaped my character and strengthened my determination to fight for truth, freedom, and human dignity.
Guided by my faith, I chose to devote myself to God and become a servant of the Gospel, to guide and inspire those going through the darkest times of their lives. I deeply believe that true peace can only come through justice, reconciliation, and respect for fundamental rights.
Today, I am a wife, mother, pastor, human rights defender, and committed leader. I preside over the MRD (Mouvement Rwandais pour la Démocratie – Rwandan Movement for Democracy), a movement determined to work for lasting peace, freedom, and democracy in the Great Lakes region. My journey, marked by exile, resilience, and faith, has taught me that we all have a responsibility to stand up for human dignity and act for those who suffer in silence.
You fled Rwanda in 1997 and live in the United States today. Can you recount the circumstances of your exile and say what you dedicate yourself to today ?
Before the tragedy we all know today, Rwanda was a country of peace. I grew up in a peaceful Rwanda, where communities lived together in tolerance, mutual respect, and solidarity. Families helped each other, villages lived in harmony, and our relations with our neighbors were excellent, especially with Zaire — now the DRC. Back then, our people interacted freely: trade, culture, friendships, and intermarriage united us. The bond between Rwanda and Congo was more than a border: it was a brotherhood.
But in the early 1990s, everything changed. Rwanda was plunged into war and violence, marked by serious human rights abuses. Like millions of other Rwandans, I was forced to flee to save my life. In 1994, I found refuge in the DRC — then Zaire — where I was welcomed with open arms by the Congolese people. I hold a deep, moving, and eternal memory of that time: the Congolese shared their homes, their land, their food, and their humanity with us, despite their own challenges and suffering.
Unfortunately, in 1996, the refugee camps were attacked. Thousands of women, men, and children perished. I lost two of my brothers there, innocent victims of this tragedy. These are wounds that will never heal, but they forged my strength and determination to fight for justice and human dignity. In 1997, by the grace of God, I was able to leave the region and emigrate to the United States, where I still live today and am now a citizen.
Tribute to the Congolese people
I want to express, from the bottom of my heart, my eternal gratitude to the Congolese people. In our darkest hours, you opened your doors, shared your bread, and reached out your hands without asking for anything in return. You welcomed us as brothers and sisters, at a time when the world had turned its back on us. I will never forget the courage and generosity of the Congolese, who, despite their own trials, chose solidarity and humanity. Even today, I believe that the destinies of our peoples are linked. Rwanda and the DRC can only build a future of peace and prosperity together, hand in hand. My commitment within the MRD is also part of this vision: that of a reconciled, united, and stable Great Lakes region, where never again will the innocent be sacrificed on the altar of political ambitions.
Today, having tasted freedom, I dedicate my life to fighting — through prayer, civic action, and my work within the MRD — so that Rwandans, Congolese, and all the peoples of the region may finally know the peace, freedom, and dignity we all aspire to.
What is your perspective on the current situation in Rwanda, the DRC, and the Great Lakes region ?
When I think back to our region before the war imposed by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), I remember a time when our peoples lived as brothers and sisters. Rwanda, the DRC — then Zaire — Burundi, Uganda, and Tanzania shared harmonious and deep relations. Our borders were not barriers, but bridges. Our markets were common, our cultures mixed, our families united. This brotherhood made our region a space of tolerance, flourishing trade, and peace.
But in October 1990, history changed course. The RPF, supported militarily and financially from Uganda, launched a war that destabilized Rwanda and, by ricochet, the entire region. In July 1994, the RPF took power in Kigali and established an authoritarian, repressive, and expansionist system. Since then, the Rwandan people have lost their fundamental freedoms: no real opposition is tolerated, independent journalists are silenced, activists are hunted, and thousands of families live in constant fear.
The Central Role of the RPF in Regional Destabilization
After taking power, the RPF did not stop at Rwanda: it exported war and instability throughout the Great Lakes region.
- In the DRC, its army invaded Zaire in 1996, officially to « pursue the ex-Rwandan Armed Forces » and dismantle the Hutu refugee camps. In reality, these operations resulted in the mass extermination of Rwandan refugees and Congolese civilians in what is now known as « Genocost ». Hundreds of thousands of women, men, and children were massacred.
- These crimes are widely documented in the UN Mapping Report (2010), a 550-page report based on more than 600 witnesses and 1,500 documented incidents between 1993 and 2003. This report concludes that the massacres committed against Hutu refugees could, if judged by a competent court, be qualified as crimes of genocide.
- Even today, the DRC continues to suffer interference from Kigali through military, logistical, and financial support for the M23, responsible for massacres, mass rapes, forced displacements, and the systematic looting of strategic Congolese resources.
Burundi, Uganda, and Tanzania Also Targeted
The policy of expansion and regional domination pursued by the Kigali regime does not stop there:
- In Burundi, Rwanda planned and supported the failed 2015 coup attempt and now finances the RED-TABARA armed group, responsible for bloody attacks against Burundi and its civilians.
- With Uganda, the Rwandan regime has been accused of espionage, illegal cross-border trafficking, and support for armed groups, leading to the closure of borders for several months.
- With Tanzania, diplomatic tensions also led to the temporary closure of borders, proof that almost all of Rwanda’s neighbors have been directly affected by the RPF’s expansionist agenda.
The Kigali regime is not building peace. It is building fear. It isolates Rwanda, weakens the region, it divides peoples to better establish its control.
No Lasting Peace as Long as the RPF System Remains in Place
The truth is simple and painful: it is almost impossible to imagine lasting peace in the Great Lakes region as long as the RPF regime remains in place. As long as these networks of arming,financing, and manipulation continue to operate, the wars will not stop. As long as the serious crimes documented by the Mapping Report are not tried, justice will not be served. And without justice, there will never be peace.
A Call for Unity of the Peoples
On this subject, I salute the courageous words of President Félix Tshisekedi, who recently stated that « the Rwandan people are the first victims of the Kigali regime. » He is right. Our enemies are not the peoples: they are the systems of oppression, predation, and manipulation.
This is why I call on the peoples of the DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, and Tanzania to unite and say STOP. We must:
- Defend the sovereignty of our nations and our borders.
- Neutralize armed groups and the networks that finance them.
- Demand the implementation of the Mapping Report and the creation of an international tribunal to try the crimes committed in the region.
- Work towards an inclusive political transition in Rwanda, so that the Rwandan people can finally regain their rights and dignity.
- Build a regional vision of peace and cooperation that benefits citizens, not warlords.
The MRD, which I lead, is fully committed to this fight. We are the voice of silenced Rwandans, and we work with our Congolese, Burundian, Ugandan, and Tanzanian brothers and sisters to build a future of peace, justice, and freedom in the Great Lakes region.
(To be continued)
