Kagame Invokes 1994 Genocide to Justify Congo Military Campaign

As Rwanda marks 32 years since the Rwanda Patriotic Army halted the 1994 genocide, President Kagame is using Liberation Day to defend Rwanda's controversial military operations in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Kigali frames the campaign—which has drawn U.S. and EU sanctions—as necessary to contain génocidaires and their descendants in Congo-based militias. Whether that security rationale justifies Rwanda's scale of engagement remains disputed between Kagame and Western capitals.