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Kagame said that failing to engage in direct negotiations with M23 rebels demonstrates an unwillingness to find a political solution to the conflict
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KIGALI – President Paul Kagame of Rwanda has urged Congolese authorities to negotiate with the violent rebel group M23, which has seized key towns in eastern Congo in recent days, expanding its control over the region bordering Rwanda. M23 is the most prominent among more than 100 armed groups vying for dominance in the mineral-rich area near the Congolese border with Rwanda. Over 1 million people were displaced by fighting in the region last year. Last month, M23 captured the towns of Katale and Masisi, the latter located 80 kilometers (49 miles) west of the regional capital, Goma, a strategic entry point into the Congolese interior.
President Kagame told reporters in Kigali on Thursday that failing to engage in direct negotiations with M23 rebels demonstrates an unwillingness to find a political solution to the conflict.
“There has to be an effort to continue finding a solution,” Kagame said. “The solution lies in an internal political process, or dialogue.”
Congo accuses Rwanda of backing M23 and has repeatedly rejected Kagame's advice to negotiate with the rebels. United Nations experts estimate that up to 4,000 Rwandan forces are present in Congo.
M23 Rebels
The M23 rebel group rose to prominence a decade ago when its fighters seized Goma, which borders Rwanda. It derives its name from a March 23, 2009, peace deal, which it accuses the Congolese government of failing to implement. After lying dormant for a decade, M23 resurfaced in late 2021 and has since captured large swathes of territory in eastern Congo.
In July, Congo signed a ceasefire agreement with M23, which came into effect in August. However, fighting has resumed, prompting the United States to express grave concern over ceasefire violations by M23 rebels.
In addition to urging negotiations with M23, Kagame emphasized the need for Congolese authorities to address the threat to Rwanda's national security posed by another armed group, known by its French initials as FDLR.
Rwandan authorities claim that the FDLR, which includes alleged perpetrators of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, is embedded within the Congolese army. “The FDLR question has to be answered,” Kagame said, accusing Congo of persecuting its own people and causing them to seek refuge in Rwanda.
M23’s rebellion has displaced hundreds of thousands of people in Congo’s North Kivu province in recent years. While M23 leaders claim they are committed to protecting civilians, their offensives often incite widespread panic and fear, forcing locals to flee.
In February 2023, the U.S. State Department publicly described M23 as a “Rwanda-backed” armed group for the first time, urging Rwanda to “immediately withdraw all Rwanda Defense Force personnel from Congo and remove its surface-to-air missile systems.”
U.N. experts have previously stated they had “solid evidence” that members of Rwanda’s armed forces were conducting operations in Congo in support of M23.
Source: ABC News
