By Elie Mutangana, Kigali
Recently, Congo announced that Rwandan soldiers violated the Congolese territory in the North Kivu province and fought with Congolese forces.
Congo added that the fights have eventually set dozens of civilians to flee.
In a response, Rwanda Defense Forces (RDF) dismissed the allegations on the violence and announced that “Congo is working on a propaganda to disguise Rwanda, instead of pacifying its internal affairs”.
Kigali says, Congo has made it a scapegoat to internal security issues that have undermined the big minerals-rich country.
The two countries’ relations came to a standoff following M23 rebels resumption of the attacks last year, against the government forces, FADC( Forces Armee Democratique du Congo), in North Kivu province of DRC
M23 had been silent and had withdrawn since its defeat and disarment in 2013, but resumed its military operations in 2022, citing that the government have failed to put in places the signed agreement.
The military collision between the rebels and the government forces resulted to loss of lives and displacement of the civilians within the country and out of it in the neighbors, especially Uganda.
Since the conflict broke out, Kishansa sent blames to its smallest neighbor Rwanda and accused it for backing the rebels.
Rwanda has repeatedly denied the accusations and it constantly blames Congo for Backing tge FDLR, a Rwandan opposition movement, mostly consisted of remnants of Rwanda’s Genocide perpetrators.
Rwanda cites that the Congolese army has consistently backed the rebel to destabilize its territory.
On Thursday, Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame held a meeting with his county’s security organs to especially examine the security concerns with its neighbors.
Kagame always discloses that Congolese security affairs “must be pacified by the Congolese government not to put blames on other countries”.
Since the fights between the M23 rebels and Congolese forces deteriorated, East African Community bloc (EAC) intervened and deployed troops in Congo to pacify the situation under the mission named “East African Community Regional Forces” (EACRF).
However, Congolese President, Felix Antoine Thisekedi later criticized the troops for not taking on M23 immediately.
The mission claimed that its aim was to call for ceasefire and diplomatically chair peace talks between the rebel and the government.
Yet, Congo, until now refused to hold talks with the M23 rebels, a group Congo calls “terrorists”.
Congo is home of around 130 rebels groups actively operating in the country. The rebels have been involved in looting and killing of civilians over the past decades.
During the talks that held in Luanda and Nairobi under the Mediation of Kenya’a previous President Uhuru Kenyatta and Angolan president.
The talks have never featured the representation of M23 rebels contrary to other rebels groups that were represented in the talks.
In May, EACRF Commander, Jeff Nyagah resigned citing the troops’ misunderstanding with the Congolese officials. He was replaced by Maj-Gen Alphaxard Muthuri Kiugu, following the extension of the mission’s mandate in Congo.
UN experts have two times released reports indicated the Rwanda’s military intervention in Congolese territories and its military support to M23 rebels .
Rwanda never stopped to dismiss the reports and cite that ‘there are based on bias’.
Rwanda also expresses concerns over the substantial death of Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese and Rwandans in Congo.
It’s a thing ‘Kigali calls Genocide against Congolese Rwandaphones and Congolese Tusti living in Congo’.
