Kagame urges RPF members to deliver solutions amid global challenges

President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame has urged members of the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) Inkotanyi to remain committed to their responsibilities and ensure their actions reflect the aspirations of citizens, saying the party’s history provides important lessons about the duties entrusted to its members.

Addressing the party’s Political Bureau on key issues affecting the organisation at Intare Arena on Thursday, President Kagame, who also serves as the party’s Chairman, said the movement’s identity and history should continue to guide its mission of serving the country.

“The RPF has its own identity, it has its name, it has enough things that define it, and it also has a history. That history explains many things about the responsibilities we have, the responsibilities of every Rwandan wherever they are,” Kagame said.

He added that understanding the party’s history helps members better understand Rwanda’s journey and their individual roles in shaping the country’s future.

The President challenged members to assess whether the progress achieved so far matches the commitments they made.

“Ask yourself the question: where have we reached in relation to the responsibilities we gave ourselves?” he said.

Kagame also called on young people to take advantage of their energy, talents and available opportunities, warning against wasting their potential through inactivity.

He said politics should focus on addressing real challenges and finding practical solutions rather than creating false narratives.

“The politics I understand, the politics of the RPF, is about confronting challenges and finding solutions. Politics based on lies, fabrications, and what you call ‘creating illusions’ only adds more problems to the ones you already have,” Kagame said.

The RPF Chairman said effective leadership should always be measured by its ability to respond to people’s needs and improve their lives.

President Kagame also addressed the security situation affecting the Banyamulenge community in Minembwe, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), saying Rwanda had previously raised concerns with international partners over what he described as targeted killings against the community.

He criticised what he described as a dismissive response from some international actors during discussions about the issue.

Kagame questioned why some countries had not first sought to establish the facts surrounding reports of violence before dismissing Rwanda’s concerns.

On the Washington D.C. agreements aimed at addressing regional security and economic cooperation, Kagame said Rwanda initially welcomed the initiative, believing it could help resolve political and security challenges affecting the Great Lakes region.

However, he said Rwanda later felt the process had taken a different direction.

“At first, I thought the idea they presented, saying they wanted to solve the problem — first the political problem and the insecurity affecting Rwanda and the region, followed by economic cooperation between America, the DRC, Rwanda and the region — was a good thing. We welcomed it with both hands, but we did not know it was a trap,” he said.

Kagame added that Rwanda has continued to face threats of sanctions whenever developments occur in the region.

Addressing the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC, President Kagame rejected claims linking Rwanda to the origins of the war.

“This war in eastern DRC did not start in Rwanda, nor was it started by Rwanda, but the intention is to turn it into a Rwanda problem,” he said.

He maintained that the conflict requires solutions focused on its internal causes rather than placing responsibility on Rwanda.

The President’s remarks come as regional and international efforts continue to seek lasting peace and stability in eastern DRC, a region that has experienced decades of armed conflict.

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