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2025-01-31 10:51:00
Rwanda is illegally occupying the Democratic Republic of Congo and making an attempt to orchestrate regime change, the nation’s overseas minister has informed the BBC.
Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner mentioned this adopted many years of impunity and failure to carry Rwandan President Paul Kagame accountable for violating worldwide legislation.
Her feedback come after Rwanda-backed M23 rebels captured the japanese Comgolese metropolis of Goma and threatened to proceed their offensive to the capital, Kinshasa.
Rwanda’s authorities spokeswoman Yolande Makolo denied the accusation and mentioned its troops had been deployed to forestall the battle spilling over to its territory.
“We’re not eager about conflict, we’re not eager about annexation, we’re not eager about regime change,” Ms Makolo informed the BBC’s Newsday programme.
The Southern African Improvement Neighborhood (Sadc), a regional bloc made up of 16 members, is holding a particular assembly on Friday in Zimbabwe to debate the scenario in DR Congo.
Sadc has despatched peacekeeping troops, primarily from South Africa, to DR Congo to fight armed teams just like the M23 and restore peace within the mineral-rich area after many years of unrest. Sixteen Sadc troopers have been killed in clashes with the M23 round Goma prior to now week.
In a disagreement along with his South African counterpart, Rwanda’s President Kagame mentioned the Sadc troops had been “not a peacekeeping power, and it has no place on this scenario”.
Ms Makolo asserted that Rwanda’s troops had been securing their borders in response to “repeated violations” together with fatalities from cross-border shelling.
“The DRC must do a greater job of getting their territory so as. That’s their accountability,” she mentioned.
Ms Wagner referred to as for a halt to overseas assist being despatched to Rwanda and sanctions to be positioned on the leaders “enabling this warfare”.
She additionally referred to as for Rwanda’s troops to be suspended from UN peacekeeping missions world wide.
“We now have to witness a rustic that presents itself as a peace-bringer in different nations, be(ing) a warmonger within the Nice Lakes area,” she mentioned.
