Rwandan government reacts to accusations of supporting M23 in eastern DRC

General view of the city of Kigali, the capital of Rwanda (illustration image).

© Stephanie Aglietti / RFI

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

This Thursday afternoon, the Rwandan government reacted in a press release to accusations of the country's support for the armed group M23 in eastern DRC.

Support, always denied by Kigali, for the first time condemned by France on Monday.

In their publication, the Rwandan authorities also return to the Kishishe massacre at the end of November, attributed to the M23 by the UN, which counts 131 civilians killed in a preliminary investigation.

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With our correspondent in Kigali,

Lucie

Mouillaud

According to Kigali, the " 

Kishishe massacre 

" is "

 a fabrication of the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo

 ", which "

 spread without any investigation by a credible organization

 ".

Two days after the first condemnations against Rwanda,

brought by France

, and the declarations of several Western chancelleries, calling on the country to cease all support for the M23 in the east of the DRC, the government once again denies any association with the rebels.

"

 Accusing Rwanda of supporting the Congolese armed group M23 is false, and diverts from the real causes of the conflict and its consequences on the security of neighboring countries

 ," says Kigali.

For the authorities, the international community should rather be concerned about the “

 persecution

 ” of the Rwandophone and Congolese Tutsi communities, who according to them face hate speech authorized by the DRC government.

►Also listen: In the DRC, Kishishe survivors accuse the M23 of having targeted civilian men [2/4]

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