Here’s what you need to know as the conflict in eastern DRC reaches new extremes. This recent escalation has captured global attention and leveled grave accusations against Rwanda which is accused of supporting the M23 rebel group. The Rwandan government denies that it has backed M23. The evidence indicates that Rwanda’s defense forces have a much more active role in the conflict, supplying critical support and logistics to the group.
Rwanda’s UN Ambassador, Martin Ngoga, has firmly rejected accusations of support for M23, asserting that the Rwandan military is not waging war against Burundi. In doing so, he too blamed Congolese and Burundian forces for the recent increase in violence. Now, the situation has become untenable. Today, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, the DRC’s Foreign Minister, is calling on the UN Security Council to take responsibility and hold Rwanda accountable for their actions.
Accusations of Support for M23
According to international watchdog reports, this has included Rwanda directly providing materiel, logistical support, and even military training to M23. Military participation has indeed been ascertained. Estimates suggest that 5,000–7,000 Rwandan troops have been fighting in support of M23 in the DRC since last December. Yet even in the face of these new revelations, Rwanda still denies any wrongdoing.
Ambassador Ngoga stated, “Rwanda is not waging war against the Republic of Burundi,” emphasizing that the nation seeks to maintain peace and stability in the region. With Rwandan forces directly intervening in the conflict, fears grew among proximate countries and the international community as a whole.
Calls for Accountability
As genocide began to rear its ugly head, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz made an impassioned condemnation of Rwanda’s behavior. He called on the international community to face these challenges head-on.
“Kigali has been intimately involved in planning and executing the war in eastern DRC, providing military and political direction to M23 forces and AFC for years now,” – US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz.
He called on Rwanda to abide by its international obligations and to respect the sovereignty of the DRC. He cautioned that continued hostilities could set off permanent turmoil in the region.
Therese Kayikwamba Wagner echoed these sentiments, declaring, “We have reached a moment of truth – either the international order accepts being openly defied, namely by Rwanda, or this council assumes its responsibility. Impunity has gone on for far too long.”
Parallel Talks Amid Conflict
M23 says it is defending ethnic Tutsi communities in eastern Congo. Yet they are absent from the negotiations mediated by Washington that are aimed at ending the conflict. Instead, M23 is holding its own parallel talks with the Congolese government under Qatari auspices.
The fighting has been concentrated on the mineral-rich areas of eastern Congo. This is particularly alarming, as the consequences are likely to come in the form of spillover into adjacent Burundi. Burundi’s UN Ambassador Zephyrin Maniratanga threatened “serious consequences” if attacks continue.
“Let me be clear: restraint has its limits. Should these irresponsible attacks continue, it would become extremely difficult to avoid a direct escalation between our two countries,” – Burundi’s UN Ambassador Zephyrin Maniratanga.
