British High Commissioner to Rwanda, Alison Thorpe
On 26 February 2025, during a parliamentary session in the House of Lords, Lord Collins of Highbury, the UK Minister for Africa, was asked about an attack on a church in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by ADF terrorists.
In response, the UK Minister stated that: “When I met the Foreign Minister of Rwanda (..) he actively denied and refuted these accusations”.
Lord Collins’ comments were false, insulting and dangerous. In light of this, Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation summoned the UK High Commissioner in Kigali and made the following points:
• The response given by Lord Collins in the UK Parliament was false because the ADF was never discussed or even mentioned in the meeting between the two Ministers in Geneva.
• It is wrong and insulting to suggest that Rwanda is linked to this Ugandan terrorist organization affiliated to ISIS/Daesh, which operates hundims of kilometers away from our border, especially given the fact that Rwanda is lighting a similar-terror group, alongside Mozambican forces in Cabo Delgado.
• It is dangerous and irresponsible for the UK Minister for Africa to make these comments that mislead the public, fuel the DRC propaganda machine and entertain conspiracy theories, as well as undermine the ongoing African-Led peace process.
While Lord Collins has sent a private message to the Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation acknowledging the mistake, and plans to send a letter to the House of Lords correcting the record, this is not sufficient given the magnitude of misinformation. A formal request has been made to the UK Government for a public correction and an official apology. (End)