The Banyamulenge community, through its diaspora representatives, is stepping forward to denounce what it calls the « cynical manipulation » of its plight by Rwandan President Paul Kagame. In a letter addressed to U.S. President Donald J. Trump, the organization Banyamulenge Global Advocacy (BGA) accuses Kigali of exploiting the persecution faced by this minority to legitimize its military involvement and support for armed groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. This open letter, obtained by Congo Guardian, comes amid heightened regional tensions, just days after controversial statements by the Rwandan leader challenging the peace agreement signed on December 4, 2025, in Washington under American-Qatari mediation.
A letter charged with indignation
« We write to Your Excellency to express our profound indignation and deep concern regarding the continued violations of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by the Rwandan regime, » the letter, co-signed by Charles Nieze (BGA Global, USA) and James M. Rutonesha (BGA Canada), begins. The signatories trace nearly three decades of Rwandan interference, since the First Congo War in 1996, denouncing « an unending cycle of war, violence, and destabilization » that has cost « more than ten million Congolese lives. »
The document highlights a bitter paradox: « Ironically, while President Kagame urges the world never to forget the genocide in Rwanda, he consistently overlooks the atrocities committed against Congolese civilians—atrocities that his government has, directly or indirectly, supported through successive proxy movements for decades. »
The Washington agreement already undermined
The Banyamulenge community had welcomed the American diplomatic initiative. « The Congolese community… expresses its profound gratitude to you for the decisive diplomatic efforts that led to the December 4th, 2025 Agreement, » they wrote. But hope was short-lived. « Yet, just as hope resurfaced, the world was stunned by how swiftly and flagrantly President Kagame violated and despised the commitments reached under Your Excellency’s auspices, » they lament, referring to the Rwandan leader’s public statements on December 11, 2025, seen as « open defiance » towards the mediating countries.
The denunciation of exploitation
The core accusation centers on the political co-opting of the Banyamulenge cause. The letter states that Paul Kagame « seeks to exploit the suffering of the Banyamulenge people to justify his aggression. » The signatories forcefully assert: « President Kagame trained this group [RED-Tabara] and provided it with logistics, ammunition, weapons, and uniforms used to terrorize our people. »
They reject any legitimacy of Rwanda to pose as this community’s defender: « The Banyamulenge Global Advocacy emphasizes that President Kagame has no legitimate right to advocate for the Banyamulenge, as his regime is directly responsible for the deaths, cattle looting, and widespread insecurity imposed upon our community. »
One paragraph is particularly poignant: « We will never forget that Banyamulenge and Tutsi refugees were once shot and killed by Rwandan forces during peaceful demonstrations as they sought to claim their basic rights. Yet, the same regime now seeks to exploit the tragedy it has inflicted upon the Banyamulenge since 2017. »
Evidence of a destabilizing alliance
The letter cites a United Nations report dated July 3, 2025 (paragraph 177), which allegedly confirms that RED-Tabara « has now become an ally of Twirwancho MRDP-AFC/M23 and other proxies, » thereby demonstrating, according to the signatories, « Rwanda’s active role in fueling instability in eastern Congo. »
For BGA, the recurrence of armed groups supported by Kigali—from the AFDL to M23, including the RCD and CNDP—is a deliberate strategy. « The so-called M23 is merely a façade behind which Kigali advances its long-standing objectives at the expense of millions of Congolese lives. »
A call for international action
In conclusion, the Banyamulenge representatives issue an urgent appeal to the international community, and particularly to the United States: « We respectfully beseech Your Excellency to exercise the authority entrusted to your office to compel President Kagame to withdraw completely from Congolese territory and to cease all violations of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s sovereignty. »
They paint a dramatic picture of the situation on the ground: « The people of Goma, Bukavu, and now Uvira continue to endure unbearable suffering under renewed aggression. Their despair, their tears, and their daily losses call for urgent action. »
They add, in a line that summarizes their plea: « The Congolese people cannot remain forever condemned to death, displacement, and humiliation. They deserve the same peace, dignity, and security afforded to all nations. »
This letter comes as tensions in the Great Lakes region have seen a renewed surge. It presents American diplomacy with a significant challenge: enforcing the agreement it brokered while responding to the pressing calls of a community that believes it is being used as a pretext in a conflict of which it is, in reality, one of the primary victims.
Albert Osako
