The Rwandan army has intervened in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in recent months, directly and in support of armed groups, according to a report by experts commissioned by the United Nations consulted Thursday by AFP.
The Rwandan army has “launched military interventions against Congolese armed groups and positions of the Congolese Armed Forces” since November 2021, according to this report sent to the Security Council.
Experts say Kigali also “provided troop reinforcements to the M23 for specific operations, particularly when these aimed to seize cities and strategic areas”.
Kigali on Thursday challenged “invalid allegations” and advanced its “right to defend its territory”.
“Rwanda has the legitimate and sovereign right to defend its territory and its citizens, and not just to wait for a disaster to occur,” said Yolande Makolo, government spokesperson, in a statement issued in the evening.
The March 23 Movement (M23) is a former Tutsi-dominated rebellion defeated in 2013, which took up arms again at the end of last year, accusing Kinshasa of not having respected agreements on the demobilization and reintegration of its fighters. Kinshasa accuses Kigali of supporting this rebellion, which Rwanda denies.
Since the end of March, the frequency and intensity of the fighting has increased drastically and the M23 has seized parts of Rutshuru territory, up to ten kilometers north of Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu.
The report of the Group of Experts demolishes the denials of the Rwandan authorities and details, with supporting evidence, the direct involvement of Rwanda “unilaterally or jointly with the combatants of the M23” in the east of the DRC.
On June 13, the strategic town of Bunagana (50 km north of Goma), a commercial crossroads on the Ugandan border, was taken by the M23 after clashes.
Drone images provided by Monusco, amateur videos and photos and eyewitnesses establish the presence of the Rwandan armed forces and / or the transfer of their equipment to the M23, in and around the town of Bunagana, the day before and the day of the attack.
The Group adds that “eyewitnesses and researchers reported minimal passive complacency by the Ugandan army at the border, which allowed M23 fighters to cross the border” to attack the town.
“Benevolent Look”
The report states that “on several occasions, aerial images showed large columns of up to 500 armed men near the borders of the DRC, Rwanda and Uganda, moving in a very organized manner and carrying a uniforms and standardized military equipment (uniforms and helmets very similar to those of the RDF)”, the Rwandan armed forces.
Two weeks before the assault on Bunagana on May 25, the largest Congolese military base in Rutshuru was under heavy fire from mortars and automatic weapons. The Group writes that “the M23 and the RDF jointly attacked the FARDC camp at Rumangabo”.
Estimated at around 900 to 1,000 men, the Rwandan columns “cut the RN2 for several days” and “attacked and dislodged the FARDC from their positions” along this road, vital for Goma.
At the same time, “combatants from armed groups supported by some members of the FARDC launched a counterattack on May 26, 2022”, notes the Group.
A video filmed that day and shared on social networks shows militiamen singing and dancing in the Rumangabo camp after its reconquest. On 9 June, during a visit to this camp, the experts were able to observe and photograph members of armed groups alongside the FARDC.
An ad hoc coalition of armed groups — including some enemies — formed in May under the benevolent gaze of Congolese army officers, the report said.
Contacted by the Group, “leaders of armed groups, combatants and ex-combatants confirmed their involvement — alone or jointly with some FARDC soldiers — in fighting against M23 and/or RDF troops” and confirmed having “received arms and ammunition from certain members of the FARDC on several occasions”.
The report adds that in late May and early June 2022, nearly 300 Rwandan soldiers carried out operations on Congolese soil against predominantly Hutu armed groups: the FDLR and the CMC / FDP (Collective of movements for change / Defense Forces People).
The FDLR, Democratic Front for the Liberation of Rwanda, is an armed group founded in Congo by former dignitaries of the Rwandan genocidal regime on the run. Presented as a threat by Kigali, the existence – and the violence – of this militia has justified the past Rwandan interventions in Congolese territory and its support for the rebellions which fought against them.