Democratic Republic of the Congo expels the Rwandan ambassador and accuses the country of supporting the M23

Oct. 30 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has decided this Saturday to expel the Rwandan ambassador in the country, considering that the African country supports the rebel group March 23 Movement (M23), formed mainly by Tutsis, which took up arms again in 2021.

The armed group took over the towns of Kiwanja and Rutshuru, located next to the main road that serves Goma, the capital of the province of North Kivu, located in the east of the country and on the border with Rwanda.

This seems to have been the reason why the Executive has decided to expel the diplomatic representative, according to the Congolese spokesman Patrick Muyaya and has been collected by Radio France International (RFI).

Earlier, United Nations experts accused Uganda and Rwanda of supporting the rebels, although both countries denied doing so.

The M23 has been accused since November 2021 of carrying out attacks against Army positions in North Kivu, despite the fact that the Congolese authorities and the M23 signed a peace agreement in December 2013 after the combats registered since 2012 with the Army, which was supported by United Nations troops.

Relations between the DRC and Rwanda have gone through moments of crisis since the massive arrival in eastern DRC of Rwandan Hutus accused of having massacred the Tutsis during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. After a certain stage of diplomatic relaxation, the conflict gained intensity again in May, when the Congolese government summoned the Rwandan ambassador to denounce the country’s alleged support for the M23.