U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power led a U.N. Security Council delegation on its first official visit to Rwanda since 2009 to assess the security situation and meet with Rwandan officials to discuss peace efforts in Africa’s Great Lakes region.

The visit was part of a broader October 4–8 Security Council trip to the region that also included stops in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda and Ethiopia.

In remarks to the Security Council October 21, Alternate Representative of the United States for Special Political Affairs Jeffrey DeLaurentis said that the U.N. delegation noted Rwanda’s relative calm and stability in the region and that the country “has an opportunity to take steps that would help spread the peace and greater prosperity it has achieved to people across the Great Lakes region.”

In Mutobo, the delegation met with former combatants in the rebel Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) who are trying to reintegrate into Rwandan society with the help of the government and the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo known as MONUSCO.

The individuals had lived on the run in the neighboring DRC, and many had left the FDLR despite threats against them and their families.

“We were pleased to hear of the key role that MONUSCO continues to play in collaboration with Rwandan authorities to ensure that these former fighters can successfully resume their lives,” Ambassador DeLaurentis said.

The delegation also visited the children’s wing of the Gisozi Genocide Memorial in Kigali — which commemorates the 1994 genocide — where 250,000 victims have been buried on the grounds in a mass grave.

“The facility serves as a permanent repository for photos and testimonies related to the 1994 genocide — and a permanent warning for the world community. That warning has special meaning for our council, which failed dismally in responding to the slaughter of 19 years ago,” DeLaurentis said.

In their discussions with Rwandan government officials, the delegation discussed “a comprehensive range of issues, including the status of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the DRC and the region,” and received assurances that Rwanda is ready to be a full partner in creating a sustainable peace in the Great Lakes region.

Noting the security threat posed by the FDLR and the Congolese rebel group M23, the U.N. delegation observed that all armed groups need to be neutralized if the regional peace framework is to succeed.

“Building on this point, we emphasized the imperative for every country, including Rwanda, to neither tolerate nor provide support to any militia or armed force,” the ambassador said.

“Overall, we found our exchange of views with Rwandan government officials to be very substantive and constructive, and we are hopeful that the dialogue will help further efforts to achieve regional peace,” DeLaurentis said.

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