After recalling, in the first part of our interview, the vivid memory of the massacres that struck her community and praising the Congolese people for their hospitality toward Rwandan refugees, Reverend Christine Coleman today delves deeper into her analysis of the Great Lakes crisis.
President of the Rwandan Movement for Democracy (MRD), she strongly condemns the militarized ideology of the Kigali regime and the repeated failures of peace initiatives that never confronted the root causes of the conflict. For this survivor of the 1994–1996 tragedies in Rwanda, and later in refugee camps in Goma and along the road to Bukavu where she lost two brothers to Kigali’s squads, only a combination of justice, democratic change in Rwanda, regional cooperation, and targeted sanctions against perpetrators can pave the way to genuinely lasting peace.
In this second part, she delivers a clear message to the international community: the role of the United States, Qatar, and global leaders like Donald Trump can be decisive, but the moral and historical responsibility lies first with the people themselves.
Several peace initiatives have been attempted without lasting success. Why have they failed, and what do you propose for enduring peace?
You know, you don’t heal a disease by only treating the symptoms. To understand why all peace initiatives have failed so far, we must address the root causes of the crisis that has shaken the Great Lakes region for over thirty years.
The Root Causes: A Hegemonic Ideology and a Militarized Dictatorship
The heart of the problem is the expansionist, hegemonic ideology carried by Paul Kagame’s regime and the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) since the 1990 attack. From its rise to power in 1994, the RPF established a system based on:
• Internal dictatorship: total repression of opposition, absolute media control, arbitrary arrests, targeted assassinations, imprisonment of dissenting voices, and forced exile of thousands of Rwandans.
• War as a political survival strategy: whenever the regime feels threatened internally, it exports conflicts externally — in the DRC, Burundi, and beyond — to divert attention, maintain permanent fear, and present itself as “indispensable” to the international community.
• Exploitation of regional resources: illegal extraction of the DRC’s strategic minerals finances the survival of the system and armed networks under Kigali’s control.
This ideology has plunged the entire region into an endless cycle of wars, massacres, population displacement, and humanitarian crises.
A Regime That Destabilizes the Whole Region
Kigali has turned the Great Lakes into a geopolitical playground:
• In the DRC, support for the M23 and other armed groups has caused millions of deaths, mass sexual violence, and systematic plundering of natural resources.
• In Burundi, Kigali orchestrated the 2015 coup attempt and continues funding terrorist groups like RED-TABARA, responsible for deadly attacks and forced civilian displacement.
• With Uganda, tensions were so severe that both countries closed their borders for months after mutual accusations of espionage and rebel support.
• With Tanzania, diplomatic relations deteriorated, leading to temporary border closures.
Today, almost all of Rwanda’s neighbors have been affected by Kigali’s policies. Yet, the Rwandan people themselves remain the primary victims: stripped of freedoms, living in poverty masked by a façade of growth, under a constant climate of fear.
Why Peace Initiatives Have Failed
For more than twenty years, numerous conferences, accords, and dialogues have taken place: Lusaka, Sun City, Nairobi, Luanda, Addis Ababa… None have brought lasting peace. Why?
• Because they often treated symptoms, not root causes.
• Because they avoided naming the true architects of regional destabilization.
• Because they neglected the voices of those directly affected: Congolese, Rwandans, Burundians, Ugandans, and Tanzanians.
• Because impunity reigns: documented crimes, including those in the UN Mapping Report (2010), were never prosecuted, even though the report describes acts that could qualify as genocidal.
Until those responsible for crimes in the region are held accountable, lasting peace cannot be achieved.
Our Vision for Lasting Peace
Peace in the Great Lakes region is not impossible. But to achieve it, we must:
- Restore Truth and Justice
• Implement the recommendations of the Mapping Report.
• Create a special international tribunal to judge crimes committed in the DRC and the region.
• Guarantee an end to impunity, regardless of who is responsible. - Work Toward Democratic Change in Rwanda
The MRD, which I lead, works for a democratic future in Rwanda, where the people can freely choose their leaders. Ending the current regime would open the door to:
• national reconciliation,
• release of political prisoners,
• reopening of political and media space,
• ending the use of war as a tool of power. - Build Strong Regional Cooperation
The DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, and Tanzania must unite to:
• disarm armed groups and cut their funding,
• establish regional security mechanisms,
• develop strict traceability of minerals so resources benefit local populations. - Revive Development and Create Jobs
Sustainable stability also requires a peace economy. Our people must:
• invest in cross-border infrastructure,
• create employment opportunities for youth,
• stimulate legal trade,
• transform natural wealth into shared prosperity.
A Call for Unity Among Peoples
As President Félix Tshisekedi recently reminded us, “the Rwandan people are the primary victims of the Kigali regime.” This truth should unite us: Rwandans and Congolese are not enemies. Our peoples have lived together, traded together, prayed together, and share families. Our interests are common: peace, freedom, and development.
That is why I call for an alliance among our peoples. Together, we can end destabilization policies, break the cycle of violence, establish true democracy in Rwanda, and build a future of shared prosperity for the entire Great Lakes region.
The MRD is fully committed to this fight. We amplify the voices of silenced Rwandans and work alongside our Congolese, Burundian, Ugandan, and Tanzanian brothers and sisters to make lasting peace, mutually beneficial cooperation, and shared development possible.
What is your view on the mediation currently led by the United States and Qatar, and what are its chances of success?
First, I want to acknowledge President Donald Trump’s efforts. For the first time in over thirty years, we have a U.S. president taking the Great Lakes region seriously. Unlike his predecessors, President Trump understands that the tragedy here is not an ethnic conflict but the result of a deliberate strategy of instability and plunder by a regime that survives through perpetual war. His determination to restore peace is a beacon of hope for millions of Congolese, Rwandan, and Burundian families.
At the same time, we must be realistic: no lasting peace will come until we change how we fight. I want to send a message to the Congolese people and their government: do not fall into the same trap that Rwanda did before 1994.
The tyrant of Kigali, Paul Kagame, never believed in negotiation. History has shown it: in 1994, while participating in the Arusha Accords for peace, he orchestrated the downing of the plane carrying Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian President Cyprien Ntaryamira, plunging the entire region into one of the century’s greatest human tragedies.
Today, he uses the same strategy: sign agreements to buy time. Look at the Nairobi, Luanda, and even Addis Ababa discussions: while the world talks of peace, Goma and Bukavu fell under M23 forces supported by Kigali. Even now, in South Kivu, RDF (Rwandan Defense Forces) continue fighting despite ongoing negotiations.
Nothing will change with this regime. Paul Kagame will never stop fighting because war is his only means of survival and maintaining power. Believing he will honor an agreement ignores thirty years of bloody history.
Hope with President Trump, but Responsibility Lies With Us
I believe that this time, with President Donald Trump, change is possible. He has shown unprecedented determination to resolve the crisis, restore peace, and end the suffering of millions in the Great Lakes region. But we must be clear: the primary responsibility lies with us, the peoples of the region.
We have a moral and historical obligation to work together — Congolese, Burundians, Rwandans, Ugandans, Tanzanians — because we face a common enemy. The threat posed by Kigali’s regime is not limited to the DRC or Burundi; it holds the entire region, even Africa, hostage.
Conditions for Credible and Effective Mediation
I welcome any sincere mediation initiative, but for it to succeed, it must:
• Set clear red lines: civilian protection, humanitarian access, immediate halt of direct and indirect support to armed groups.
• Rely on concrete levers: targeted sanctions against perpetrators, strict conditionality of international aid, independent verification mechanisms.
• Give voice to local populations: affected communities, churches, traditional leaders, women, youth, and civil society must be central.
Without these guarantees, we risk repeating past mistakes: signing agreements that are never implemented while aggressions continue and people keep suffering.
Today, I am convinced history calls for a collective awakening. If we, the peoples of the Great Lakes, unite our voices and efforts, we can end this tragedy, build lasting peace, restore cooperation among our nations, develop our regional economy, and offer a future of dignity and hope to our children.
You are one of the influential voices supporting Donald Trump. What message would you send to him, Americans, and global leaders to bring peace to the Great Lakes?
First, I salute President Donald Trump for his courage and vision.
He is the first U.S. president in over thirty years to take the Great Lakes crisis seriously. Unlike his predecessors, he understands that what is happening here is not merely an ethnic conflict, but the result of a deliberate strategy of instability, expansion, and plunder orchestrated by Kagame’s Kigali regime.
I deeply believe that under his leadership, we have a historic opportunity to end decades of suffering, deliver justice to innocent victims, and restore lasting peace in our region. But this will only be possible if the United States, the international community, and the peoples of the region act firmly and decisively.
1. Call for Strong, Targeted Sanctions Against Kigali
I urge President Trump, the U.S. Congress, the European Union, the African Union, and the UN to immediately impose targeted sanctions on the Kigali regime and its networks:
• Sanction political, military, and financial leaders supporting M23, RED-TABARA, and other armed groups.
• Freeze financial assets and ban travel for identified perpetrators.
• Suspend all military aid and security cooperation with Kigali as long as it continues aggression in the DRC and destabilizes Burundi.
• Apply increased diplomatic and economic pressure to compel Kigali to withdraw troops from the DRC and cease interference.
2. Demand Justice for Innocent Victims
Peace cannot exist without justice.
For three decades, millions of innocent Congolese, Rwandans, and Burundians have suffered massacres, rape, forced displacement, and crimes against humanity.
The UN Mapping Report (2010) documented over 600 major incidents in the DRC between 1993 and 2003, some of which could qualify as genocidal crimes. Yet impunity prevails.
I call for:
• Full implementation of the Mapping Report recommendations.
• Creation of a special international criminal tribunal for crimes committed in the DRC and Great Lakes.
• Independent investigations into massacres of Rwandan refugees, Congolese civilians, and innocent Burundians.
• Recognition of victims’ suffering and reparations for families.
3. Support Democratic Change in Rwanda
As long as the RPF remains in power, lasting peace is impossible.
The problem is not the Rwandan people — the primary victims of this authoritarian system — but the Kigali regime, which survives through:
• repression of political opponents,
• total media control,
• using war and fear as survival tools.
I call on the international community to actively support democratic change in Rwanda:
• Immediate release of political and opinion prisoners.
• Reopening of political and media space for free expression.
• Free, inclusive, transparent elections under international supervision.
• Support for a peaceful and inclusive transition to a reconciled, stable Rwanda.
4. Control Resource Traceability and Dry Up War Funding
Our wars are fueled by massive looting of DRC strategic minerals: coltan, cobalt, gold, tin…
I call for:
• Strict traceability of all resources in the region.
• Independent audits for companies that purchase or exploit these minerals.
• Sanctions against companies and financial networks funding armed groups.
• Creation of a transparent regional mechanism to ensure these resources finally benefit local populations.
5. Unity of Peoples: A Moral and Historical Obligation
Let me say it clearly: Congolese, Rwandans, Burundians, Ugandans, and Tanzanians are not enemies.
Our peoples share a common history, family ties, and collective destiny.
The true enemy is the expansionist ideology and permanent war strategy of Kigali’s regime.
We must unite to:
• Defend our nations’ sovereignty.
• Protect populations from massacres and forced displacement.
• Build a stable, prosperous, and peaceful region.
President Donald Trump can play a crucial role in accelerating this process, but the primary responsibility lies with us:
We, the peoples of the Great Lakes, have a moral and historical duty to work together to end this tragedy and build a future of peace, dignity, and shared development.
Message of Hope, Unity, and Blessing
In closing, I want to send a message of hope and unity to all the peoples of the Great Lakes region.
We have endured decades of suffering, wars, and injustice, but I deeply believe our future can be different.
I call on our Congolese, Burundian, Ugandan, Tanzanian, and Rwandan brothers and sisters to unite and end the tragedy that divides us.
I especially call on Rwandans, at home and in the diaspora, to come together, overcome our differences, and work to end this dictatorial regime that deprives us of freedom and plunges the region into instability.
Rwanda needs to reclaim its soul, rebuild a true Republic based on freedom, justice, and human dignity.
I also extend my profound gratitude to the Congolese people for their courage, resilience, and historic hospitality. Since 1994, when millions of Rwandan refugees fled the war, the DRC opened its arms, providing shelter, food, and humanity. I will never forget this.
I pay tribute to the DRC’s leadership and courageous commitment to defending national sovereignty, as well as the Congolese Wazalendo for their heroic resistance against aggression. Your courage inspires the entire region.
I wish to express my deepest solidarity and condolences to all Congolese, Rwandan, and Burundian families who have lost loved ones, faced forced displacement, or suffered from violence. I carry your pain in my prayers.
Today, we have a moral and historical obligation: to work together to build a free, stable, and prosperous region.
We need each other: Congolese, Rwandans, Burundians, Ugandans, Tanzanians.
We share a common enemy: a system that thrives on war and division. United, we have the power to defeat it.
Pastoral Blessing
“May God bless the Congolese people, the Rwandan people, the Burundian people, and all peoples of the Great Lakes region.
May God grant wisdom and courage to our leaders, strengthen the families who suffer, and guide our steps toward reconciliation, peace, and prosperity.
May the light of justice finally shine upon our nations.
And may our unity become our greatest strength.”
I also thank Congo Guardian and you, Mr. Jonas, for giving me the opportunity to speak to your readers.
I thank the Congolese people for their listening, courage, and solidarity.
I pray this interview helps awaken awareness and strengthen our collective determination to build a better future for our children and generations to come.
