The President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Felix Tshisekedi, on Sunday, accused the government of Rwanda of backing the M23 rebels in the country.
Tshisekedi made the accusation in Congo-Brazzavile during a state visit to DRC’s western neighbours where he held talks with President Denis Sassou Nguesso.
He accused Rwanda of backing the M23 rebels who have been involved in a series of clashes with the army since the end of May, leading to several deaths of civilians, an allegations Kigali has denied several times.
In his first public comments on the growing crisis between the two countries which has led to accusations and counter accusations from both Kinshasa and Kigali, Tshisekedi insisted that the M23 rebels who are now active in the Eastern part of the country near the border with Rwanda, are being trained by the Rwandan army.
Tshisekedi insisted that it was “very obvious” the rebellion in his country was being fuelled by the support the militia is getting from Kigali which has truncated every effort to find a peaceful solution to lingering crisis.
“I have always maintained that you have to build bridges rather than walls,” said Tshisekedi.
“Unfortunately, today, we are where we are. That does not constitute an opportunity for neighbours to come and provoke us.
“DR Congo’s neighbours should not mistake our desire for peace with weakness. I hope that Rwanda has learned this lesson, because, today, it’s clear, there is no doubt, Rwanda has supported the M23 to come and attack the DRC,” he added.
The allegations that Kigali was backing the M23 rebels led to the DRC suspending flights of Rwandan airline, RwandAir, as well as summoning Rwanda’s ambassador to warn him of the country’s position last week as the tension between the two countries continues to build up.
Relations between the DRC and Rwanda have been strained since the 1994 Rwandan genocide where the Hutus slaughtered thousands of Tutsis with allegations that the Hutus were being aided by the Rwandan government.
The relationship had began to thaw after Tshisekedi came into power in 2019 but the recent resurgence of M23 violence has reignited regional tensions.
The militia group were driven out of the DRC after it briefly captured the Goma province in 2012 before the army crushed their rebellion but in late 2021, the group reentered the country from their base in Rwanda, fuelling speculations that they have the backing of Kigali.