By John Ikani
Relations between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda seemed to deteriorate Saturday after DRC barred RwandAir from its airspace.
Patrick Muyaya, spokesman for the Congolese government, announced that DRC has “immediately” suspended the flights, adding that a “stern warning is given to the Government of Rwanda” over its alleged involvement in the conflict in North Kivu, eastern DRC.
The DRC accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebels, who have since revived operations in eastern DRC.
Humanitarian agencies say at least 37,000 people were displaced within four days of fighting between M23 and government forces.
The government in Kinshasa which announced that the M23 rebel group is now “considered as a Terrorist Movement,” also summoned Rwanda’s ambassador to express its disapproval of its neighbor’s “recidivist attitude.”
The decision was announced after an extraordinary national security meeting on Friday chaired by Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi.
Why did the Congolese government act now?
Since the 1994 Rwandan genocide, relations between Rwanda and the DRC have been strained.
Kinshasa said it was responding to a fresh campaign of violence by M23 in the east of the country which began last month, after nearly a decade of relative calm.
Last week, the group advanced as close as 20 kilometers (12 miles) to the main eastern Congolese city of Goma and briefly captured the army’s largest base in the area.
The Congolese government has said it found military equipment that was allegedly supplied by Rwanda, along with testimonies from local residents and soldiers suggesting a link between M23 and its neighbor. Rwanda denied any involvement.
RwandAir responds
Meanwhile, RwandAir has issued a statement to confirm it would stop flights into the DRC.
“Following the decision of the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to suspend RwandAir flights, RwandAir has decided to cancel all flights to Kinshasa, Lubumbashi, and Goma with immediate effect,” RwandAir said.
The airline also promised to refund those affected and, in some cases, offered rescheduled flights in the future.
RwandAir said this was in the interest of its clients and crew safety.
“RwandAir always puts the safety and security of its customers and crew as their number one priority,” the airline said.
The decision to ban Rwanda’s national flag carrier from the DRC will have a negative impact on the airline’s revenues.
RwandAir regularly services the Kigali-Goma route – and, for the airline to go as far as West Africa, to countries such as Nigeria, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Ghana, Benin and Congo Brazzaville, it can’t avoid the DRC’s airspace.
Who is the M23 group?
The M23 movement is made up of former Congolese army soldiers who formed a rebel group in 2012.
Primarily a Congolese Tutsi group, M23 is one of more than 120 armed militia operating in eastern DRC, many of which are a legacy of regional wars more than two decades ago.
The United States says many of the rebel groups are keen to control the country’s valuable natural resources, as the DRC has major deposits of copper, cobalt, gold and diamonds.
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