Amid DRC violence, Rwanda falsely accuses US, EU, UN of triggering hostilities

Dead bodies prevarication connected the streets of Goma successful the eastbound Democratic Republic of the Congo, arsenic dense warring continues betwixt Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, and the DRC forces supported by planetary peacekeeping troops.

The rebels person attacked overseas embassies, the United Nations mission, and taken power of Goma’s planetary airport, cutting disconnected the much-needed humanitarian assistance to hundreds of thousands of displaced radical successful the war-torn region.

Hospitals are overwhelmed successful the metropolis of implicit 2 cardinal people, and planetary workers are fleeing the region.

The U.N. said connected Jan. 28 the Rwanda-backed convulsive intrusion of M23 rebels successful Congo caused "one of the worst humanitarian crises successful the world" and the killings of the U.N. peacekeepers.

The U.N. and Western nations demanded that Rwanda withdrew its troops from the neighboring state and returned to the presumption of the Luanda Process – a pact signed successful 2022 successful Angola to halt the warfare successful Congo.

In response, the Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed it was the planetary peacekeepers who triggered the latest hostilities successful Congo.

"The ongoing struggle successful Eastern DRC peculiarly the caller dense warring successful Goma was triggered by changeless violations of ceasefire by the Congolese Armed Forces successful conjugation with UN sanctioned militia FDLR, European mercenaries, Ethnic militias (Wazalendo) Burundian equipped forces, SMIDRC forces, arsenic good arsenic MUNUSCO."

That is misleading.

The Rwanda-backed M23 rebels triggered the ongoing hostilities by launching an violative northbound of Goma, connected Oct. 26, 2023, successful usurpation of the Luanda process.

M23 is simply a militant radical formed connected March 23, 2009, claiming to support the interests of Congolese Tutsi and Kinyarwanda-speaking minorities successful DRC.

The U.S and U.N. person sanctioned M23 since January 2013 for having committed superior crimes involving the targeting of children successful the struggle successful the DRC, including recruitment, killing, maiming and intersexual unit against minors.

After the escalation successful 2023, the DRC accused the Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) of warring alongside the M23, portion Rwanda claimed that the DRC supported a Hutu rebel group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).

Rwanda accuses FDLR members of committing the 1994 Rwanda massacre, which claimed lives of implicit 1 cardinal Rwandans.

The Burundian equipped forces and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission successful the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC) are among the determination peacekeepers deployed to enactment the DRC authorities successful restoring bid and information successful eastbound DRC.

While MUNUSCO is the U.N. peacekeeping ngo that has been successful Congo since 2010.

On Jan. 28, U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea, Chargé d ’Affairs advertisement interim astatine the U.N. information council, mourned the deaths of MUNUSCO and SAMIDRC troops killed during the latest attacks and said, "Rwanda indispensable retreat troops from the DRC."

"Rwanda and the DRC indispensable instrumentality to the negotiating array and enactment toward a sustainable, peaceful solution," Ambassador Shea stated.

The Rwandan Foreign Ministry besides claimed successful the aforesaid statement, "Rwanda notes successful interest the deficiency of important discourse connected statements issued by assorted parties connected the concern successful the eastbound Democratic Republic of Congo. Misguided oregon manipulative statements bash not supply immoderate solutions."

That assertion is besides misleading.

Calling connected Rwanda to retreat its equipped forces from the DRC territorial boundaries is not manipulative oregon misguided, arsenic the Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs alleges. Contrary to that, planetary calls are for halting convulsive warring and returning to bid negotiations.

On Jan. 26, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, called connected "Rwanda Defense Forces to cease enactment to the M23 and retreat from DRC territory."

A akin connection from the European Union read, "The EU powerfully condemns Rwanda’s subject beingness successful the DRC arsenic a wide usurpation of planetary law, the U.N. Charter, and the territorial integrity of the DRC."

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, successful a telephone telephone speech with the DRC President Felix Tshisekedi, "condemned the battle connected Goma by the Rwanda-backed M23 and affirmed the United States’ respect for the sovereignty of the DRC."

On Jan. 28, Rwandan President Paul Kagame shared connected X that helium "had a productive speech with Secretary Rubio connected the request to guarantee a ceasefire successful Eastern DRC and code the basal causes of the struggle erstwhile and for all."

Rwanda’s assertion that the planetary statements deficiency "important context" is besides misleading.

The EU said the beingness of the M23 successful Goma is "deepening the disastrous humanitarian situation successful eastbound DRC."

"This beforehand has pushed further internally displaced persons (IDPs) towards the overburdened camps astir Goma, wherever much than 800.000 IDPs are sheltered," the EU said successful a statement.