The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) expelled the Rwandan ambassador on Saturday (29) after accusing Kigali of supporting M23 rebels who have won conquests in the troubled east of the country.
The expulsion announced by official spokesman Patrick Muyaya came after a government meeting to assess the security situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The latest advances by rebel fighters have prompted the UN peacekeeping mission to raise its alert level and strengthen its support for the army.
Muyaya indicated that in recent days there has been “a massive arrival of elements of the Rwandan army to support the M23 terrorists” against DRC forces.
He added that given Rwanda’s support for the rebels, the defense council led by President Felix Tshisekedi decided to give Kigali 48 hours to withdraw Ambassador Vincent Karega.
M23 rebel fighters have taken control of an area near the strategic RN2 highway in the eastern province of North Kivu, local officials and witnesses told AFP.
Rwanda denies supporting the movement and instead accuses the Democratic Republic of Congo of supporting a Hutu rebel group involved in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi ethnic group.
A UN independent expert report determined in August that Kigali provided direct support to the M23.
M23, the Congolese-majority Tutsi group, resumed fighting in late 2021 after years of inactivity, accusing the government of violating an agreement to demobilize its fighters.
It has since taken over swathes of North Kivu’s territory.
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