Rwanda refutes accusations of meddling in Congo's security
The Rwandan government has used the forum of francophone countries in Africa to dispel accusations by the Congolese government that it has amongst others supported rebel groups in Congo to incessantly fuel discrimination and ethnic attacks.
The seeming clearance of Rwanda’s name was undertaken by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Vincent Biruta who sought to directly address the accusations while addressing the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) meeting held in Yaoundé, Cameroon.
How did we get here?
Since 2022, a simmering dispute has persisted between the two nations triggered by the resurgence of the M23 rebel group – a militia group which actively operates in Eastern Congo - in 2021.
The tension between the countries is often characterized by cross-accusations of border attacks and rebel groups' funding. The Congolese government has since accused Rwanda of supporting the activities of the M23 group. However, the Rwandan government has refuted this claim, The New Times reports.
Conversely, Rwanda accused the Democratic Republic of Congo of collaborating with the FDLR, a blacklisted terrorist organization formed by individuals responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, resulting in over a million deaths.
In recent times, the FDLR has carried out cross-border attacks on Rwanda.
On November 6, the M23 rebels declared that they had retaken key positions in eastern DR Congo, which they had previously relinquished to the East African Regional Force (EACRF) when the security situation in the area deteriorated. The situation further escalated following the M23's withdrawal from previously occupied territories, leading to sporadic clashes involving the Congolese coalition of Wazalendo, European mercenaries, and the FDLR militia against the M23.
Rwanda's position now
At the two-day Francophonie inter-ministerial conference that concluded on November 5, 2023, Dr Vincent Biruta insisted that the Congolese government has taken up the attitude “accusing Rwanda for the notorious governance failures that characterize this country [DR Congo] which has decided to externalize its internal problems and chosen Rwanda as the scapegoat.”
Dr Biruta insisted that amidst the growing “scapegoating of Rwanda, Congolese officials have failed to the other side of the story.
“He [representative of the DR Congo government] forgot to tell you that there are more than 200 armed groups in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, including genocidal armed groups like the FDLR,” Dr Biruta said.
“Notorious governance problems which are expressed by discrimination against certain communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo and that in the East, ethnic cleansing is taking place. He forgot to tell you all this. He mentioned the problem of internally displaced persons, he forgot to tell you that Rwanda is sheltering more than 90,000 Congolese refugees and that Uganda is probably facing a larger number…the representative of the DR Congo government forgot to tell you that the DR Congo army joined forces with genocidal armed groups and various militias and with European mercenaries to wage war against part of the Congolese population…," he added.
Possible resolution?
He emphasized that the recent allegations made by Congolese officials against Rwanda serve as a distraction from domestic issues and flawed policies within their own country.
The New Times reports that negotiations between the two countries have been held since July 2022 with other eastern African countries.
However, the Rwandan government remains concerned about the operations of FDLR and other indigenous armed groups while working to prevent a possible escalation of the tension which threatens the security and political stability of the region.
