New York — Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Olivier Nduhungirehe, urged the United Nations on Tuesday to take swift and consistent action to counter hate speech and signs of mass atrocity in the Great Lakes region, saying the credibility of the Responsibility to Protect framework depends on timely responses.
Speaking during a ministerial meeting on the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) held on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly, Nduhungirehe warned that growing identity-based violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly threats against Tutsi communities, shows worrying parallels to the lead-up to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. He said the international community must move beyond statements and adopt preventive measures before violence spirals into mass atrocity.
“These exchanges are not merely academic, they are part of our collective responsibility to prevent genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity,” Nduhungirehe said. “Rwanda knows more than most the cost of inaction.”
Nduhungirehe called for a stronger link between early warning systems and immediate, practical early action. He urged preventive diplomacy and international interventions when credible reports indicate the risk of mass atrocities rather than waiting for large-scale violence to occur. He also welcomed recent institutional steps — such as the Office on Genocide Prevention and R2P and new early-warning tools — but said these remain insufficient without follow-through.
Hate speech must carry consequences
Highlighting the role of rhetoric in fuelling violence, the minister insisted that “hate speech is not free speech when it lays the foundation for genocide.” He pressed for institutionalized accountability for actors — including media outlets — that incite or legitimize violence, calling for condemnation and withdrawal of support from those who spread dangerous narratives.
Root causes cannot be ignored
Nduhungirehe argued that durable prevention requires addressing structural drivers of conflict: land disputes, exclusion, statelessness and historical injustice. He warned that selective application of R2P or allowing misinformation to invert victims and perpetrators will erode the doctrine’s legitimacy. “Sovereignty must be understood as a responsibility, not a shield for inaction,” he said, urging the UN and member states to prioritize political solutions that tackle these root causes.
Rwanda’s stance and regional context
Rwanda, which hosts roughly 100,000 Congolese refugees, has repeatedly called attention to threats posed by armed groups in eastern DRC, including the FDLR — a militia founded by individuals linked to the 1994 genocide. Nduhungirehe urged the global community to situate R2P responses within historical and cultural realities of the Great Lakes to ensure timely prevention and protection.
Proposal for a renewed global compact
Closing his remarks, the minister proposed a renewed global compact to foster a culture of prevention, counter dangerous narratives, and ensure that R2P is applied consistently and credibly. “R2P is not an abstract principle, it is a solemn promise,” Nduhungirehe said, calling for concrete action to prevent the next mass atrocity.
