Crisis in eastern DRC: Rwanda “clarifies its security position”
Three days after a mini-summit in Addis Ababa on the situation in the eastern Republic of Congo (DRC), the Rwandan authorities published a press release on the night of February 17 to 18 to clarify their "position
regarding security
". This weekend, the United States demanded the withdrawal of Rwandan forces present in eastern DRC, and again accused Kigali of supporting the M23 rebels.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame attending the 37th ordinary session of the African Union (AU) Assembly at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa on February 17, 2024. AFP - MICHELE SPATARI
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Rwanda clarifies
its
security position in a press release published on the night of February 18 to 19, 2024. After the intensification of violence around Goma, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (
DRC
) in recent weeks and American declarations who once again accuse Kigali of supporting the M23 armed group, Rwanda denounces a real threat to its security and affirms that it is ready to take all measures to defend itself.
Read also On the sidelines of the AU summit, several heads of state present for a mini-summit on the east of the DRC
“
Rwanda reserves the right to take all legitimate measures to defend its country.
» This is what the Kigali government says in a belligerent press release. Statements denouncing a “
serious threat
” to national security linked to the situation in eastern DRC and the comments of Congolese leaders, including the country's President Félix Tshisekedi, having announced, insists the press release from the Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs , “
their intention of wanting to invade Rwanda and change its government by force
”.
Kigali denounces a “
deeply truncated image of reality
”
Also in this press release, Kigali claims to have taken measures to ensure total air defense and reduce the offensive air capabilities of its neighbor. A warning which comes two days after a bomb attack in Goma airport which partially hit a Congolese fighter plane, perpetrated by Rwandan drones, according to Kinshasa.
After the call launched by the United States to Rwanda to dismantle surface-to-air missiles in the territory of Rutshuru and withdraw its troops in the DRC, Kigali denounces a "
deeply truncated image of reality
" and highlights the collaboration of the The Congolese army with the group of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a predominantly Hutu rebellion based in the east of the DRC since the end of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda.
RWANDA CLARIFIES ITS SECURITY POSITION
Link: https://t.co/UEZgli1Jxd pic.twitter.com/4Wm7cZQcgx
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Int'l Cooperation (@RwandaMFA) February 18, 2024
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