KINSHASA – A damning report by a team of impartial United Nations experts seen on Thursday shows that the Rwandan army “engaged in combat operations” against the DR Congo’s military in the volatile nation’s east part.
The experts claimed that there was “strong evidence” that the Rwandan army had actively assisted the M23 rebels in the Congo by providing them with uniforms, guns, and ammunition.
Until the conclusions were formally released, a government spokesman in Kigali refused to comment on specific charges and denied that Rwanda helped the rebels.
DR Congo has frequently charged Rwandan dictator Paul Kagame with supporting the M23, and now this study will likely vindicate them.
Since coming out of hibernation late last year, the militia has seized large areas of land in the DRC’s unrest-plagued east.
Just 20 kilometers (12 miles) separate the current frontlines from Goma, a bustling city with more than a million residents.
Although Rwanda has frequently denied supporting the rebels, other Western nations like as the United States and France have concurred with the DRC’s assessment.
Kagame recently accused DRC President Felix Tshisekedi of trying to avoid elections in his country by dragging Kigali into the crisis as a scapegoat.
In recent weeks, armed groups—of whom there are over 120 in eastern DRC—have engaged the M23 in combat.
On Thursday, for instance, M23 fighters and the APCLS militia engaged in fighting in North Kivu.
In the assessment by the UN specialists, local militias “shifted alliances” as a result of the M23’s comeback, creating “new dynamics” with the Congolese military.
In their battle against the M23, the experts highlighted evidence showing that Congolese military had fought alongside armed organizations such as the APCLS and the FDLR.
Rwanda has frequently asserted that Kinshasa supports the FLDR.
The UN experts urged that the DRC “take all measures” to stop military and armed group collaboration.
