KEY POINTS
- A prominent rights group accuses Rwanda of backing the M23 rebel group in Congo’s conflict.
- The report claims Rwanda provides military and financial support, worsening violence in the region.
- Rwanda denies the allegations, calling for further investigation and international cooperation.
A prominent human rights body has alleged that Kigali has directly backed the M23 rebel outfit that is involved in the current fighting in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The claim as mentioned by a human rights organization in its recent report is that Rwanda has been backing the rebels in combat in every possible way including military and financial assistance, which has made it possible for conflict to persist in the region.
In a report by a highly rated international human rights organization, the Rwandan government is said to have provided support to the M23 rebels which is behind several attacks on the Congolese armed forces and civilians.
If true the allegations would further strain the already strained relations between the two neighboring countries.
The government of Rwanda has been accused of supporting m23.
The M23 rebel group was formed in 2012 and has been implicated in armed fighting, forced expulsions of civilians and allegations of human rights abuses in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
New activities of the group have been accused of provoking more violence in the region, and Rwanda is accused by the rights group of fueling the situation.
According to an AP News report, Rwanda has been militarily assisting M23 by supplying them with weapons, and information and also in a logistic way by providing cash to enable them to conduct more complicated operations against Congolese armed forces.
The rights group is now urging an international probe into Rwanda’s role, which it said poses a danger to the region as a whole.
Rwanda, however, has refuted the allegations. The Rwandan government has described the accusations as mere politics and has called on the international society to try and understand the problem and find a way of solving it in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Local and global consequences
The fighting in the eastern DRC has for a long time been a cause of friction between Congo and Rwanda. The two countries have been on the stand and involved in border problems and proxy wars that have led to insecurity in the region for many years.
If we are to believe that Rwanda is backing the M23 rebels then that will only make the situation worse between the two nations.
The international community has also been alarmed by the situation. Most of the countries and international organizations have called for an independent investigation into allegations against Rwanda.
Some people have claimed that if the necessary measures are not taken soon, the situation in the eastern part of Congo may worsen and a humanitarian catastrophe may happen.
Other regional organizations have also not been left out, but the efforts to find a solution to put an end to the conflict between DRC and M23 rebels have been a failure. Now that claims of external interference have become the focus, the way to reconciliation looks all the more challenging.
The Rwandan government’s denial and call for cooperation
To the accusations, Rwanda has continued to deny any participation in the Congo conflict as claimed by others. The Rwandan government has asked for a wider search for the root cause of the conflict in eastern Congo explaining that its actions serve the interests of order and peace.
Rwanda has also called for more collaboration between regional heads of state governments and international actors to come up with sustainable solutions to the problem. Nonetheless, the allegations against Rwanda have drawn new attention to the need for more transparency and accountability in the search for a solution to the conflict.
An expectation of peace as tension rises
While the allegations have raised some little doubt about Rwanda’s involvement in the conflict in DR Congo, there is still a little light at the end of the tunnel. The world is waiting for a diplomatic way to deal with the accusations, and the United Nations is urging countries to stop supporting militia.
However, it seems after aggression there are some ways that if diplomatic pressure is applied continuously Congo and Rwanda could probably find a way to start a diplomatic process which could ultimately result in halting the violence. Much effort will be needed to achieve this goal, but the majority of people think that the peace process is still feasible.
