President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo has publicly admitted that he once considered launching a military confrontation against Rwanda, but later abandoned the idea after discovering that he had been misled about the true capabilities of his country’s army.
Tshisekedi made the remarks during a press conference held in Kinshasa on May 6, where he apologized to the Congolese people for the strong statements he had made during the 2023 presidential campaign.
At the time, Tshisekedi was campaigning for a second term and repeatedly used fiery rhetoric against Rwanda and the AFC/M23 coalition. During one of his campaign rallies, he confidently declared that the Congolese army had the ability to strike Kigali directly from Goma.
He said: “Do not be afraid. Our army can now strike Kigali while positioned in Goma. Kagame will not sleep in his house; he will sleep in the forest. Let him play with others, not with Fatshi Béton.”
He continued by warning: “If their first bullet lands in Congo, in Goma or if any territory is captured, I will convene both chambers of Parliament and ask authorization to declare war on Rwanda.”
Those remarks came at a time when tensions between Kinshasa and Kigali were rapidly escalating over the conflict in eastern Congo. The Congolese government repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting AFC/M23 rebels, accusations Rwanda consistently denied.
During the May 6 press conference, Tshisekedi revisited those statements and admitted that he had relied on false information regarding the strength and readiness of the Congolese military.
A journalist who questioned him described him as a leader who prioritizes diplomacy over military action. The reporter referenced the famous phrase attributed to Vegetius Renatus, “If you want peace, prepare for war,” and also mentioned political thinkers such as Niccolò Machiavelli and former U.S. President Barack Obama.
The journalist asked him directly: “When will Goma and Bukavu be liberated? I am asking the President of the Republic.”
In response, Tshisekedi explained that as a civilian with no military background, his instinct was to prioritize diplomacy, especially after learning the reality inside the Congolese armed forces.
He said: “You must understand that a civilian like me, with no military knowledge whatsoever and no military experience in his life, naturally turns first to diplomacy when such events occur.”
He then reflected on his 2023 campaign speeches, saying: “You remember during the election campaign in 2023, on the final day of campaigning, I spoke about even the smallest provocation.”
Tshisekedi went on to formally apologize to Congolese citizens, acknowledging that he had been given inaccurate information about the state of the army.
He stated: “Today I want to take this opportunity to apologize before the Congolese people, not because I was rushed into things, but because I was given false information regarding our army.”
The Congolese leader then described the deep problems he discovered within the military, saying the army lacked unity, structure, and operational readiness.
He said: “Today you can see the sanctions, the arrests, those are the consequences. It means there was truth hidden from us within that army. We could not take to war an army without direction, an army divided against itself.”
Tshisekedi further revealed that the military lacked even basic equipment necessary for combat operations.
“Our army lacked uniforms, weapons, and even ammunition to go to war,” he admitted. “How could we enter a war under those conditions? That is not how I think.”
He also disclosed that infiltration inside the military had become a serious national security threat.
“There is something else I never told you regarding the way information was hidden from me. It is the level of infiltration by enemies inside our army,” he explained.
According to Tshisekedi, hostile actors had embedded themselves inside the military under the cover of peace agreements and were weakening the institution from within.
“They infiltrated our army, hid behind peace agreements, and ended up destroying the military from the inside. These are things that are not visible to the naked eye.”
He said the discoveries forced him to prioritize diplomacy over direct military confrontation with Rwanda.
“Today we have information, and that is the good thing. We now know our army had been infiltrated and destroyed from within,” he said.
“They had a cruel objective of taking part of our country. We had no other option except diplomacy. Diplomacy became our weapon.”
Tshisekedi’s remarks come amid growing reports about an alleged regional plan involving President Evariste Ndayishimiye and armed groups hostile to Rwanda, including the FDLR militia.
Previous reports indicated that Ndayishimiye had recently been warned by William Samoei Ruto and Yoweri Kaguta Museveni against pursuing any military confrontation with Rwanda.
According to those reports, Ruto warned the Burundian leader that “those encouraging him to attack Rwanda were misleading him,” and allegedly told him that “if he wanted his presidency to end, he should attack Rwanda.”
The developments come as relations between Rwanda and several countries in the region remain tense due to the ongoing conflict in eastern Congo and accusations involving the FDLR, a militia linked to perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
While some regional leaders have used increasingly confrontational rhetoric in recent years, Tshisekedi’s latest statements suggest that certain leaders are beginning to acknowledge that diplomacy may offer a more sustainable solution than military escalation in a region already scarred by decades of instability and war.
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