Africa-Press – Rwanda. The government of Rwanda has called out the United Kingdom for taking sides in the eastern DR Congo crisis, following the European country’s announcement of possible sanctions against Rwanda over allegations of supporting the M23 rebels.
These sanctions include suspension of bilateral financial aid to Rwanda and future defence training.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said it was “regrettable” that “the UK has now clearly chosen a side” in the conflict that has affected relations between Rwanda and DR Congo.
“It is unreasonable to expect Rwanda to compromise its national security and the safety of Rwandans. The measures do nothing to help the Democratic Republic of Congo, nor do they contribute to achieving a sustainable political solution to the conflict in eastern DRC,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry argued that the Congolese government had “a lot more to answer than any other party within the DRC itself and in the region but gets away with all manner of violations for reasons that are obvious to all.”
“Consistently not holding the Government of the DR Congo accountable for repeated attacks on its own citizens, including the ongoing indiscriminate bombing of Banyamulenge villages in South Kivu, encourages the DRC to double down on a military path, prolonging the conflict and the suffering of civilians,” the statement read.
The government of Rwanda has repeatedly stressed the need to address the root causes of eastern DR Congo’s crisis and taking into consideration Rwanda’s security concerns, which include the presence of the FDLR, a group linked to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Rwanda’s key concerns include the unsafe situation along the border with DR Congo where the Congolese armed forces operate alongside a cocktail of various militias, the FDLR, hundreds of European mercenaries, Congolese ethnic militias called Wazalendo, Burundian armed forces, South African-led SADC forces, as well as UN peacekeepers.
“Rwanda will continue to insist on security guarantees, which [DR Congo] and the international community have so far been unwilling or unable to provide,” the foreign ministry said.
“This perpetual situation of instability seems to benefit, directly or indirectly, a number of those associated with the conflict,” it went on.
The government of Rwanda noted that it was “fully committed” to working with partner states on the ongoing African-led mediation process and called on the international community to support the effort, “the only credible pathway to a negotiated solution.”
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