Kigali, Rwanda – Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Thursday held a wide-ranging press conference at Urugwiro Village, taking aim at European powers over what he described as their exploitation of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) minerals while unfairly singling out Rwanda for criticism.
He also defended his country’s security operations and outlined his vision for African self-reliance and effective leadership.
“They looted the minerals better than anybody in history. They sell minerals in Antwerp, diamonds. Do they produce diamonds? Or they have gold, bullions they took long ago and are adding more? Do they have gold mines, these Europeans?” Kagame asked, rhetorically.
“It is only Rwanda picked on about minerals, simply because the audience in Europe will listen more to these accusations, whether what they are saying is happening or not.”
The President’s remarks came as he addressed the ongoing scrutiny Rwanda faces over its role in the eastern DR Congo, where the presence of armed groups and mineral wealth has long attracted international attention.
Kagame dismissed European claims as selective and biased, suggesting that the same scrutiny is rarely applied to Western powers with long histories of extracting resources.
Kagame also firmly rejected suggestions that Rwanda should seek favors from external actors to secure its interests.
“I cannot ask anybody to do me a favor to have Rwanda secure, or to have my right. If you don't give me my right, then it means a fight. We will fight, no question about it. So there is no way, no way, where I'm concerned, you can do me a favor for my right. Who are you after all?” he said.
The Rwandan leader addressed security concerns in the region, particularly regarding the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a rebel group based in eastern DR Congo.
He argued that European leaders underestimate the threat posed by even small numbers of terrorists.
“Terrorists, even when they are five, actually do harm, and people take that seriously. So FDLR, why no one would take them seriously, knowing their history, and knowing they are associated with a government in DR Congo… The essence of saying how many is like saying you are exaggerating. When somebody asks me that, I know he is interested in covering up the problem,” Kagame said.
Beyond security, Kagame used the conference to outline his philosophy of leadership and African self-determination.
“Leadership isn’t about just serving yourself and being proud that you have done something for yourself, except if you are delivering something. If you are leading people and you are delivering, and you see the benefits reflected in the lives of those people, then you can have personal satisfaction and pride,” he said.
Kagame also criticised what he described as the subservience of African nations to external powers.
“The mighty tend to think they are right and they don’t care even when they realize that what they are involved in is wrong… We tend to be so subservient that somebody does wrong to you and the tendency is for the Africans to be the one to apologize. You get offended, you get hurt, then you are the one to apologize, and really, I can’t keep blaming somebody else, other than ourselves.”
He stressed that conflicts in the region, including tensions between Rwanda and Congo, are compounded by external forces.
He urged Africans to recognise their own resources and potential.
“If I remember the saying, you can take horses to the well to drink water but you can’t force them to drink… Africans we have everything, we have the water in front of us and we are thirsty, we should be drinking. But we find an excuse to not drink the water… When we have the people, we have the resources, we have the knowledge.”
Thursday’s press conference highlighted Kagame’s continued stance that Rwanda is unfairly targeted in international discourse, while also signalling his broader message that African nations should pursue self-reliance in security, governance, and economic development.