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The Peninsula
Doha: President of Rwanda, H E Paul Kagame, has called for big global powers to be rational and sensible heads as the world navigates a series of instability and wars in several countries. Kagame said he worries about the inability of conflicts to be resolved amicably.
In an interview with Steve Clemons, Founding Editor-at-Large, Semafor aired during the opening session of the Global Security Forum yesterday, Kagame said,“I am bothered by the fact that the world is in a sense losing its centre of gravity. In history, we have had such instability worldwide, but in some cases, you would have some rational actors among these powers to calm the situation and say, 'why don't we find a way to negotiate? The big actors need to be rational and sensible so that things stop getting out of hand under our watch.”
Kagame stressed that with conflicts today, everybody thinks they are right, adding that if the conflicting parties continue with the language of destruction,“we will all be victims, even those who have nothing to do with it.”
Commenting on leadership and economic growth, Kagame discussed how the East African nation has grown across sectors economically, socially and equality for women.
In response to a question about the detained Paul Rusesabagina, Kagame said there's ongoing work on the issue with a possible way forward. Rusesabagina was portrayed as a hero in the famous film 'Hotel Rwanda' but is serving a 25-year sentence in Rwanda on terrorism charges.
“We are not people who want to get stuck in one place and not make any movement forward for whatever reason,” Kagame said.“Even in our history, when we have wanted to move on and make this progress, we came to a point where we forgive the unforgivable. We don't get stuck with our past. There is a discussion looking at all possible ways of resolving that issue without compromising the most fundamental aspects of that case,” the 65-year-old leader added.
Meanwhile, he said the US-African Summit, held last December, is a stepping stone towards a better relationship between both parties. He added that the meeting could achieve tangible results in the future.
Speaking on the ongoing escalations in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which involves M23 rebels, Kagame said despite deals being signed between the group and present and previous governments in the DRC, with grievances yet to be addressed. The Rwandan leaders stressed that the crisis in Eastern Congo didn't start with his country, but they have been dragged into it.
He opined that it seemed the DRC's actions were being influenced by external forces but reiterated his belief in the ability of regional and continental mechanisms to find a lasting solution to the escalations.
The US and DRC say M23 is backed by Kigali, a claim the Rwandan government has denied, warning that such accusations could undermine the peace process.
Rwanda, on the other hand, has accused the DRC and its army of backing the FDLR rebel group.