United Nations experts have pointed to the existence of «substantial evidence» of «direct intervention» by the Rwandan Army in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including Kigali’s support for the rebel group March 23 Movement (M23), which has been denounced on numerous occasions by Kinshasa.
The report, obtained by Radio France Internationale, states that the Rwandan Army has delivered «arms, ammunition and uniforms» to the M23 in the framework of military operations in the east of the country and emphasizes that these deliveries took place at least «between November 2021 and October 2022».
Thus, the experts have presented photographs and videos of M23 fighters wearing new military clothing and equipment, while images captured with drones show the transit of artillery, ammunition and new recruits at points controlled by the M23 on the borders with Rwanda and Uganda.
In this sense, the report specifies the location in the hands of the rebel group of Chinese grenade launchers, «known to be used by the Rwandan Defense Forces» and states that this type of material «is not part of the known arsenal» of the Congolese Armed Forces.
On the other hand, they also point to the responsibility of Uganda in the upsurge of the fighting and affirm that Kampala has allowed the rebels to cross its border with the DRC. Thus, members of the armed group are said to have passed «unhindered» across the border to take the town of Bunagana in June.
UN experts also point to collusion between the Congolese Army and various armed groups, including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and the Mai-Mai, to combat the M23, including the proposal by armed groups to «mobilize 600 fighters» to reinforce the ranks of the Armed Forces.
The report follows a report published at the beginning of August which already stated that Kigali «had given troop reinforcements to the M23 for specific operations», namely for «the seizure of localities and strategic zones».
Rwanda has on numerous occasions accused the DRC of supporting the FDLR — an armed rebel group founded and composed mainly of Hutus responsible for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda — and on Wednesday the Rwandan government said the accusations against Kigali for its support of the M23 «are a mistake» that «distracts from the real cause of the continuing conflict.»
«Rwanda’s territorial integrity has been consistently violated over the past few years by the DRC Army and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), including a brutal attack in October 2019 in Kinigi, a tourist area in northern Rwanda, in which fourteen innocent villagers were killed,» it charged.
«Blaming Rwanda reflects an unwillingness on the part of the international community to address the underlying causes of the conflict in eastern DRC and to call for real accountability of the state and non-state actors responsible for this legacy of failure,» he remonstrated.
M23 WITHDRAWAL FROM KIBUMBA For its part, the rebel group announced Friday that it will withdraw from its positions in the town of Kibumba, in the province of North Kivu (east) following an agreement with the verification mechanism of the East African Regional Force (EACRF).
The spokesman of the M23, Lawrence Kanyuka, said in a statement published on the social network Twitter that the group «conveys its gratitude to the regional leaders for their endless efforts to achieve a peaceful solution to the conflict in eastern DRC».
«Despite the attacks on our positions and the continued killing of our populations by the DRC government coalition, the M23 supports the regional efforts and agrees to hand over its positions in Kibumba to the EACRF,» he specified.
In this sense, he pointed out that «this gesture of goodwill, which is carried out in the name of peace, is in line with the recommendation of the mini-summit of heads of state in Luanda», in which the presidents of the DRC and Rwanda, Félix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame, respectively, took part.
«We hope that the Congolese government will grab this opportunity with both hands and also work to achieve peace in our country,» Kanyuka reiterated, without the DRC authorities having pronounced themselves for the moment on the M23 announcement.
The M23 has been accused since November 2021 of carrying out attacks against Army positions in North Kivu, despite the Congolese authorities and the M23 signed in December 2013 a peace agreement following the fighting recorded since 2012 with the Army, which was supported by UN troops. UN experts accused Uganda and Rwanda of supporting the rebels, although both countries denied it.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
