Julien Paluku: “The Rubaya mines are the real FDLR that Rwanda is looking for
Mbeki edmond
May 10, 2024
Former North Kivu Governor and current Minister of Industry, Julien Paluku, challenged Rwandan President Paul Kagame's claims about the destabilization of Congo by Rwandan Hutu rebels during a book launch in Paris on April 29. Julien Paluku argued that these assertions are merely excuses for Rwanda's exploitation of Congo's resources
"When we explained the economic motives behind the Rwandan aggression to the public, it was to enhance everyone's understanding. Today, the Pyrochlore/Niobium mine in Lueshe/Somikivu (Rutshuru territory, near Kishishe) and the Coltan and Tourmaline mine in Rubaya (Masisi territory) are under the control of the Rwandan army, These mines are the actual FDLR that Rwanda is pursuing in the DRC."Paluku said
Understanding the tactics of the Rwandans and their allies, Julien Paluku asserts that the recent bombings of displaced person camps around Goma, alongside similar attacks in Sake and Minova, South Kivu, are diversionary strategies masking ongoing looting at mining sites. These actions, which constitute war crimes, prompted an outraged response from Congolese Minister of Human Rights, Fabrice Puela, who demanded an end to the international community's silence on the massacres committed by the Rwandan army in North Kivu
"The blood of the Congolese is worth the blood of the Ukrainians and it is unacceptable that the international community is only interested in the Congo for raw materials,Moreover, I join the entire battered population of the east of the country counting on its vigilance as well as the Defense and Security Forces who deserve all the support in order to carry out their saving mission successfully,
An expert on the Great Lakes region predicts that Rwanda's mining exports will surge following the international agreements it has signed. Julien Paluku, with a touch of irony, refers to the FDLR as a 'Force Given for the Liberation of Rwanda from Crippling Poverty
