After the suspicions and the warnings, Kinshasa raises the tone.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) "condemned", on Tuesday evening June 14, the support provided, according to it, by Kigali to the "M23" rebels.

The DR Congo government "condemns the participation of the Rwandan authorities in supporting, financing and arming this rebellion", the Ministry of Communication and Media said in a statement.

"We will defend every centimeter of our territory", adds the text, released the day after the capture by the rebels of the M23 ("Movement of March 23") of the locality of Bunagana, an important center of commerce located on the Ugandan border, in the Congolese province of North Kivu (east).

This press release from the Ministry of Communication first evokes the six-day visit to the DR Congo of the King of the Belgians, the last stage of which took place on Sunday in Bukavu (South Kivu), at the hospital of Dr. Denis Mukwege, joint winner of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for his action in favor of women victims of rape in this region plagued by violence from armed groups for nearly 30 years.

The doctor spoke of "the multiple attacks suffered" by the DR Congo.

"The most recent, which is still taking place before our eyes, is that of the M23 group, whose support for Rwanda has been known to everyone for decades," he added, quoted by the press release.

"The Belgian Prime Minister, Alexandre De Croo, meanwhile indicated that we had the right to demand from our neighbors that our territory be respected and that Belgium was keen on strict respect for the territorial integrity" of the DR Congo, the statement continues.

"King Philippe of Belgium and the international community have an important role to play in urgently establishing regional diplomacy which will lead to the easing of tensions and the peaceful resolution of the conflict", adds the text.

"Invasion"

A predominantly Tutsi rebellion defeated in 2013 by Kinshasa, the M23 took up arms again at the end of 2021, accusing the Congolese authorities of not having respected an agreement for the demobilization and reintegration of its fighters.

The fighting has intensified in recent weeks and Kinshasa has clearly accused Kigali of supporting this rebellion.

Last week, the DR Congo army accused Kigali of having sent 500 of its soldiers to the east of the country, which the Rwandan government once again denied, just as it denies any support for the M23.

Monday, after the capture of Bunagana, the Congolese army accused Rwanda of "invasion" of its territory, assuring that "all the provisions were put in place for the recovery of the situation".

For several weeks, demonstrations have been organized in the DR Congo to demand the severance of diplomatic relations with Rwanda.

Again on Tuesday, a few hundred people gathered in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kinshasa to demand the expulsion of the Rwandan ambassador, Vincent Karega.

He had recently been summoned to receive a "severe" warning, according to the Congolese authorities.

Relations between Kinshasa and Kigali have been strained since the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, with the massive arrival in DR Congo of Rwandan Hutu accused of having massacred the Tutsi, each country accusing each other of supporting antagonistic rebel groups.

They had calmed down after Felix Tshisekedi came to power in early 2019, but the resurgence of the M23 has reignited tensions.

With AFP

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