US Condemns Rwanda’s Alleged Support for M23 Rebels in Eastern Congo.

By Maniraguha Ferdinand

The United States has issued a stern condemnation of Rwanda amidst escalating tensions between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and M23 rebels in the eastern region.

In a recent statement released by Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, the US expressed deep concern over the worsening violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Recent clashes between the conflicting parties have reached Sake town on the outskirts of Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province.

"This escalation has heightened the risk to millions of individuals already vulnerable to human rights abuses, including displacement, deprivation, and attacks. We urge M23 to immediately cease hostilities and withdraw from their current positions around Sake and Goma, in alignment with the Luanda and Nairobi processes," the statement emphasized.

The US has accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebels and has called for an immediate halt to such support. Rwanda, however, denies any involvement with the group, which has resurfaced after a decade of dormancy.

While the US has pointed fingers at Rwanda, Rwanda itself has accused the DRC government of collaborating with the FDLR group, composed of remnants of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis.

Hostilities between Rwanda and the DRC reignited in 2022 when M23 resumed its activities in Eastern North Kivu Province. The group claims to be defending the rights of Kinyarwanda-speaking communities, whom the Congolese government labels as foreigners.

M23 alleges that the Congolese army collaborates with the FDLR to persecute Kinyarwanda-speaking communities, particularly those of Tutsi ethnicity.

In addition to admonishing Rwanda, the US has warned the DRC to cease its collaboration with the FDLR and has urged both parties "to respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to hold all actors accountable for human rights abuses in the conflict in eastern DRC."

The statement was issued during a meeting of regional leaders in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where discussions were underway to find ways to defuse tensions between Rwanda and the DRC, as well as to bring an end to the war in Eastern Congo through dialogue.

It comes on the heels of accusations by the Congo that Rwanda supplied M23 with surface-to-air missile systems, allegations that Rwanda vehemently denies.