DRC DENOUNCES RWANDA
In a statement the DRC government said it was following developments in Bukavu “hour-by-hour”, and accused Rwanda of “plans of occupation, of pillages” in the east.
With fears that the offensive could ignite a regional war, the international community has multiplied calls for a de-escalation and ceasefire, so far in vain.
“We don’t want a balkanisation of eastern DRC,” the African Union’s Peace and Security Commissioner Bankole Adeoye told reporters at a summit in Addis Ababa.
Without mentioning Rwanda, he added: “We are calling for the immediate removal of M23 and their supporters from all towns and cities including Goma airport.”
UN chief Antonio Guterres, speaking Saturday at the opening of the AU summit, demanded that the DRC’s “territorial integrity” be respected and a regional war avoided.
The DRC claims that some 4,000 Rwandan soldiers are in the east of the country.
The conflict with M23 has lasted more than three years, with Kinshasa accusing Kigali of wanting to control the mining and trade of minerals used in batteries and electronic equipment, and also of trying to appropriate land for agriculture.
Rwanda denies the charges, arguing that its security is threatened by armed groups in the region, notably the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), created by former Hutu leaders linked to the genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda.
