1 of 2 | The Democratic Republic of Congo is accusing Rwanda of illegally occupying part of its territory, after fighters with a Rwandan-backed rebel group captured the eastern Congolese city of Goma on Friday, resulting in the surrender of some Congolese troops. Photo by Moise Niyonzima/EPA-EFE
Jan. 31 (UPI) — The Democratic Republic of Congo’s foreign minister on Friday accused Rwanda of illegally occupying part of its territory, after the M23 rebel group captured the eastern Congolese city of Goma.
Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner made the claim to the BBC, saying that she believed Rwanda was attempting to orchestrate a regime change in the DRC as international leaders had failed to hold Rwandan President Paul Kagame accountable for violations of international law.
M23’s advances have primarily come in the Congo province of South Kivu, which shares a border to the east with both Burundi and Rwanda.
Rwanda has continually denied any affiliation with the rebel group, which has been making gains in the eastern part of the Congo since the start of the year.
Rwanda government spokesperson Yolande Makolo denied the claims by the foreign minister and said that Rwandan troops had only been deployed to prevent the spread of the conflict.
“We’re not interested in war, we’re not interested in annexation, we’re not interested in regime change,” she said.
Fighters with the Rwanda-backed M23 took over Goma, the capital and largest city in the DRC’s North Kivu Province, sparking fears among the city’s population of nearly 2 million people.
People living there are now facing the threat of violence as well as starvation, with tens of thousands losing water and electricity connections this week. Around 178,000 Congolese citizens had already been displaced from their homes as of last week, forced to leave as rebel fighters made territorial gains.
Congolese officials have continued to accuse M23 of extracting valuable resources from the mineral-rich region. The United Nations has echoed similar sentiments in reports produced by U.N. agencies.
Earlier this month, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned the rebel group’s advances were “heightening the threat of a regional war.”
Guterres demanded M23 “immediately cease its offensive, withdraw from all occupied areas and abide by the 31 July 2024.”
The United States on Wednesday backed the U.N. chief’s message, calling for an immediate ceasefire. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the current situation “deeply troubling,” adding he’d spoken Tuesday by phone with Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
On Thursday, the 16-member Southern African Development Community held an emergency meeting in Zimbabwe, where its heads of state convened “to discuss the security situation in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.”
The SADC has previously sent peacekeeping troops to the area, with over a dozen killed in action over the last week, primarily from South Africa.
“Following the recent intensification of fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Africa has lost 13 brave soldiers who were dedicated to their mission and committed to peace,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on X, while blaming both M23 and Rwanda.
“The fighting is the result of an escalation by the rebel group M23 and Rwanda Defence Force militia engaging the Armed Forces of the DRC and attacking peacekeepers from the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.”
Troops from Malawi and Tanzania were also killed in the fighting to restore peace to the area.