Nduhungirehe Condemns Tshisekedi’s Tribute to Former Minister Accused of Anti-Tutsi Hate Speech

Kigali, August 2, 2026 - Rwanda’s Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe has criticized Democratic Republic of Congo President Félix Tshisekedi for granting state honors to former Foreign Affairs Minister Abdoulaye Yerodia Ndombasi, whom he accused of promoting anti-Tutsi hate speech during the Congo wars.

In a statement marking 28 years since the outbreak of the Second Congo War on August 2, 1998, Nduhungirehe said inflammatory rhetoric by political leaders contributed to the persecution of Congolese Tutsis in Kinshasa and other parts of the country. He singled out Yerodia Ndombasi, who was foreign minister at the time, accusing him of using dehumanizing language against Tutsis and linking such rhetoric to subsequent killings, arrests and torture.

Nduhungirehe also criticized the lack of prosecution of Yerodia Ndombasi despite an international arrest warrant issued by Belgium. He noted that after the former minister died in February 2019, Tshisekedi’s government granted him a state funeral and official honors.

The minister said the events that began in August 1998 should serve as a warning against ethnic hatred and persecution, ending his message with a call for “Never Again.”