Rwanda leading east African toward war, US envoy tells UN

DR Congo and Rwanda on a map | Al Jazeerah

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The United States on Friday accused Rwanda of fanning a regional war with its support of the M23 armed group in eastern DR Congo, just days after the signing of a US-brokered peace deal.

Last week, amid great fanfare, the Congolese and Rwandan leaders signed the deal in Washington at US President Donald Trump’s urging, raising hopes for an end to three decades of conflict.

But M23 fighters this week captured the Congolese city of Uvira, allowing the Rwanda-backed militia to control the land border with Burundi and cut Kinshasa off from military support from its neighbour.

“Instead of progress toward peace, as we have seen under President Trump’s leadership in recent weeks, Rwanda is leading the region toward more instability and toward war,” US Ambassador Mike Waltz told a UN Security Council meeting on Friday.

He said the United States “is deeply concerned and increasingly disappointed” by this resurgence of violence. The envoy denounced “the scale and sophistication” of Rwanda’s involvement in eastern DRC.

“The Rwandan defence forces have provided materiel, logistics and training support to M23 as well as fighting alongside M23 in DRC with roughly 5,000 to 7,000 troops,” not including possible reinforcements during the latest offensive, Waltz said.

The Rwandan firepower has included surface-to-air missiles, drones and artillery, he added.

M23 launched its current offensive this month in South Kivu province along the Burundian border. It captured the major cities of Goma and Bukavu in January and February.

On Wednesday, it captured another key city, Uvira, allowing it to control the land border between the DRC and Burundi.

UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix warned the new offensive “has revived the spectre of a regional conflagration with incalculable consequences.”

“Recent developments pose a serious risk of the progressive fragmentation of the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly its eastern part,” he said.

– ‘Legitimate self-defence’ –

Burundi on Friday accused Rwanda of bombing its territory, and its ambassador, Zephyrin Maniratanga, told the council it “reserves the right to use self-defence.”

He warned that if the attacks continue, it would be extremely difficult to avoid an escalation between the two African countries.

Rwanda denied the accusation.

“Rwanda is not waging war against the Republic of Burundi and has no intention of doing that,” Ambassador Martin Ngoga said.

Meanwhile, Congolese Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner criticised the Security Council for its “lack of action” and called for sanctions against Rwanda.

Despite a resolution adopted in February demanding the withdrawal of Rwandan troops and a ceasefire, “the situation is undeniable: another city has fallen, a parallel administration has consolidated itself, thousands more families have fled, and others have been killed, raped, and terrorised,” she said.

Since taking up arms again in 2021, the M23 has seized swathes of territory, displacing tens of thousands and leading to a spiralling humanitarian crisis.

Earlier this month, UN experts said Rwanda’s army and the M23 had carried out summary executions and forced mass displacements of people in the region.

AFP

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