Rwandan President Paul Kagame has rejected claims that his country is backing the M23 rebel group, which has recently captured key towns in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Speaking in Kigali on Thursday, Kagame dismissed the accusations as baseless, asserting that Rwanda has no involvement in the conflict.
“These M23 leaders and most of their fighters came from Uganda, where they were refugees,” Kagame explained. He emphasized that the rebels are not Rwandans, though they speak Kinyarwanda, Rwanda’s national language.
Kinshasa has repeatedly accused Kigali of aiding the M23 rebels, a charge that Kagame has consistently denied. A recent United Nations report suggested that Rwandan forces were assisting the rebels, further fueling tensions.
Kagame clarified that M23 fighters are Congolese, as acknowledged by both past and present Congolese leadership. He also pointed to the 100,000 refugees from eastern DRC currently residing in Rwanda as evidence of the broader issues driving the conflict.
In 2012-13, Kagame noted, Rwanda disarmed M23 fighters who had crossed its borders and returned their arms to DRC authorities, demonstrating Kigali’s commitment to peace.
The Rwandan president urged Congolese leaders to tackle the root causes of the unrest and engage in negotiations with the rebels to achieve a lasting solution.
Efforts to mediate the conflict, led by Angolan President João Lourenço, stalled last month after talks between Kagame and DRC President Félix Tshisekedi failed to make progress.