The military chiefs of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) clashed at a high level meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Friday.
The meeting of regional defence chiefs was called to discuss the deteriorating security situation in eastern Congo where government forces are battling M23 rebels who are reportedly backed by Rwanda.
When Major General Ychaligonza Jacques, Congo’s Deputy Chief of Defence – Operations and Intelligence took to the podium, he did not mince his words.
Ychaligonza expressed concerns regarding the security situation in Eastern DRC, which he reiterated was “an aggression by Rwanda through its support to the M23.”
Ychaligonza, who has been coordinating military operations against the rebels for the last two years, said the M23 rebels remained a “major threat to the security of the DRC.”
He also stressed that “M23’s continued threats and victimisation of the population have led to the displacement of 2.4 million people in North Kivu and 1.6 million people around Goma.”
Intense fighting between territorial defence forces known as Wazalendo and M23 rebels is underway mainly in the strategic town of Kitchanga and Masisi in North Kivu.
Both M23 rebels and Wazelendo claim to be controlling Kitchanga which we could not readily verify.
Rwanda reacts
In response to the DRC military chief, Rwanda’s new Chief of Defence Staff, Lt Gen MK Mubarakh, said the security situation in the Great Lakes Region, especially insecurity in Eastern DRC and its spillover effects, remains worrying to Rwanda.
Mubarakh further expressed concern over the “continued re-arming and employment of Rwanda Genocidal Forces such as the FDLR and its splinter groups by the government of DRC, who are fighting alongside FARDC, in its effort to stabilise the situation in North Kivu.”
The former commander of Rwanda’s Special Forces reiterated that this “constitutes a threat to the security of Rwanda.”
Rwanda accuses DRC of helping the FDLR militia, whose ideology and past leadership are blamed for the 1994 genocide.
On the other hand, Kinshasa says Kigali continues to arm M23 rebels and reinforce the armed movement’s ranks with soldiers to destabilise eastern Congo.
Both countries deny the counter accusations.
Observers say relations between DRC and Rwanda continue to escalate, raising the prospect of an armed conflict.
DRC President Felix Tshisekedi recently ordered the armed forces to deploy 40,000 newly-trained Congolese soldiers near the border with Rwanda to battle the M23 rebels.
Mubarakh, however, reiterated Rwanda’s commitment to the existing peace initiatives, notably the Nairobi and Luanda process for the restoration of durable peace in the region, and emphasised the importance of disarming and unconditionally repatriating the members of all foreign armed groups to their countries of origin.”
The Meeting of Chiefs of Defense was attended by the following representatives: EAC was represented by Gen Maj Sinomana Ignace, Deputy Land Force Commander of Burundi; ECCAS was represented by General Major Nduwumunsi Audace, Regional Chief of Staff of ECCAS; ICGLR was represented by Aviation General Altino Carlos José Dos Santos, Chief of the General Staff of the Angolan Armed Forces and Chairperson of the Committee of Chiefs of General Staff of the ICGLR; and SADC was represented by Lt General Dennis Sitali Alibuzwi, Zambia Defence Forces. The DRC was represented by Ychaligonza Jacques, Deputy chief of Defense in charge of operations and intelligence; and Rwanda was represented by Lt Gen MK MUBARAKH fndu psc(Z) Chief of Defence Staff, Rwanda Defence Force.
The UN was represented by Lt Gen Otavio Rodrigues De Miranda Filho, the Force Commander of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).
The meeting expresses deep concern over the prevailing insecurity and deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the country due to violence and human rights abuses committed by the M23 and other armed groups, including the FDLR and ADF.
In this regard, the defence chiefs demanded the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all armed groups and negative forces; and called for the establishment of humanitarian corridors to facilitate humanitarian assistance to the affected populations.
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