DRC Army Accuses Rwanda Of Supporting Rebel Group

The Congolese army alleged the Rwandan army was backing an active rebellion in the eastern DRC, which Kigali denied on Tuesday. The move comes after months of growing suspicion and decades of mistrust.

On Monday evening, General Sylvain Ekenge, spokesman for the military governor of North Kivu province, accused the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) of supporting rebel group named the M23 (for “March 23 Movement”), which he said had “carried out incursions and attacked FARDC, Congolese Armed Forces, positions in Tchanzu and Runyoni, in the Rutshuru territory”.

The Congolese Minister of Communication and government spokesman, Patrick Muyaya, who appeared on French broadcaster TV5 Monde, said it was time to put an end to this form of hypocrisy or this form of complicity between the M23 and the government of Rwanda.

He added, In view of the “assertions of the army” of the DRC, he added, “my colleague of Foreign Affairs will invite (Tuesday) the ambassador of Rwanda, so that he comes to give us explanations”.

To back up his accusations, Congolese General Ekenge said two Rwandan soldiers had been arrested during Monday’s attacks and gave their identities: Warrant Officer Jean-Pierre Habyarimana and Private John Uwajeneza Muhindi, alias Zaje, of the 65th Battalion of the 402nd RDF Brigade.

The two alleged soldiers, dressed in civilian clothes, were standing near him and were shown on Congolese television. Again, Mr Habitegeko “disputed these false allegations”. According to him, the names of these two men had been mentioned by the Congolese side during a meeting on 25 February in Kigali of a joint intelligence mechanism.