Paul Kagame: "Laissez Nkunda en paix"

Kigali: President Kagame seemed to close the chapter on detained DRC rebel General Laurent Nkunda maintaining the previous position that the former warlord is left out of the “good relationship” with Congo - even after Nkunda petitioned last week, RNA reports.

Responding to a Congolese female journalist, Mr. Kagame said “we need to give ourselves peace and give Nkunda peace”.

“Way back he was a problem, now he is not”, Kagame said. “Let us treat Nkunda as a secondary issue as long as he not introduced again.”

Last week, the general who has spent the last six months in secret detention petitioned President Kagame through his lawyer seeking immediate release. Mr. Kagame did not comment on this specifically, instead preferring to close put an end to the debate.

Describing Congolese as “brothers and sisters”, Mr. Kagame said he wants the relationship with DRC to move “beyond and concentrate on tangible things that can be achieved in this good relationship”.

“Nkunda is not a problem”, he said Monday at his monthly press conference, adding “it is just a small, tiny part”.

He wants the two countries to cooperate on investment and cross-border cooperation. The formers foes are already jointly seeking to extract 200MW of electricity from methane gas in Lake Kivu.