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War attacks rise tensions between Rwanda and D.R.Congo
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Congo accused Rwanda of backing rebels in its territory
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Rwanda accuses the FARDC to back the genocidaires FDLR to attack it
It all started with the outbreak of war between the loyalist armed forces and the Congolese rebels of the March 23 Movement, famous in the name of M23 in acronym, in this new year of 2022.
It’s a fierce war, the shells sing the hymn of death, but the rebels say they control strategic hills around Bunagana and Rumangabo.
In these atrocities, the M23 accuses the government of allying with the FDLR, a terrorist force following the genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi in 1994.
On June 10, Rwanda said the Congolese army had fired two rockets into its territory.
After various communications from army spokespersons, In his recent declarations against the background of the resurgence of the M23 rebels active in the east of the country, near the border with Rwanda, Tshisekedi had said: “I have always supported that it was necessary to build bridges rather than walls, Unfortunately, today, we are where we are.”
DR Congo’s neighbors should not confuse its desire for peace with weakness, he added. “This is not an opportunity for neighbors to come and provoke us,” he said.
“I hope that Rwanda has learned this lesson, because today, it is clear, there is no doubt, Rwanda supported the M23 to come and attack the DRC.”
In return, Rwandan President Paul Kagame also accuses his Congolese counterpart of ignoring the “real problems” that threaten relations between neighboring countries, including the failure to quell internal rebellion, while fears of a new war in the Great Lakes region is rising.
In recent weeks, Kagame and the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, have accused each other of stoking the conflict. Tshisekedi said Kagame supported the rebels against his government. Rwanda denies the allegation and warns Congo against firing on its territory under the guise of pursuing insurgents.
“To bring these accusations is simply to evade his responsibilities as president of this country,” Kagame said in an interview with Zain Verjee, host of the Qatar Economic Forum.
President Kagame was referring to an inability to deal with militant groups in eastern Congo, a threat that successive Congolese administrations and the United Nations have failed to combat for two decades. One is the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, or FDLR, linked to the 1994 genocide.
Another is known as M23, which says it aims to protect Rwandan speakers from mistreatment in Congo, but is accused by Tshisekedi of opposing his government with the support of Rwanda.
“Congolese of Rwandan origin and the way this issue has been dealt with in Congo needs more attention,” Kagame said. “It can be solved. If you look at people’s rights, solving their problem is a simple matter.
A spokesperson for the Congolese presidency did not immediately respond to messages seeking comments. Tshisekedi said in a speech before his cabinet on Friday that his country “is facing an attack from Rwanda, under the cover of M23”.
The M23 is now planning to seize the commercial hub of Goma, on the Congo-Rwanda border, according to a report by the UN’s group of independent experts.
Congo could be forced to negotiate with the M23 if Goma falls, and the rebels could present demands for amnesty, restitution of their assets and integration of its fighters into the army, according to the report of experts from the published on June 17.
According to a statement emailed by the Kenyan government, EAC Heads of State met in Nairobi on Monday June 20, 2022 and reiterated their calls for an immediate ceasefire and “cessation of hostilities” in eastern Congo.
“It’s not that we didn’t address the right issues,” but in terms of “implementation and, for some reason that I don’t understand, President Tshisekedi chose a completely different direction,” Kagame said. “We have to tackle the real issues.”
As of June 17, 2022, a Congolese soldier had charged, firing towards the Rwandan border at Rubavu. A Rwandan soldier shot at him and he died on the spot, a Congolese policeman present during the incident, which took place at the border post called the “Petite Barrière” and another Rwandan policeman under treatment for injuries.
The ordeal of the Tutsis in the Congo
A lieutenant colonel of the Congolese army, assimilated to a Rwandan, was brutalized by the population and the police in Kisangani, so many other civilians burned alive in Kindu and others imprisoned immediately for their Tutsi facies.
The Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Head of MONUSCO, Bintou Keita, expresses her deep concern about the resurgence of hate messages and incitement to hostility in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Congolese authorities decided on Thursday to fight “stigma” and “the manhunt” in the Democratic Republic of Congo where a Tutsi-dominated rebellion, supported by Rwanda, according to them, occupies several localities in the east, according to state television, RTNC.
