The United States has accused Rwanda of fueling a major rebel advance in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, threatening to derail a peace agreement brokered by former President Donald Trump just weeks after it was affirmed in Washington.
The dramatic escalation in fighting, carried out by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group, comes “a week after Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame met Trump in Washington and affirmed their commitment to a US-brokered peace deal,” according to a CNN report.
In a stark condemnation at the UN Security Council, US Ambassador Mike Waltz stated, “Rwanda is leading the region towards increased instability and war.” He detailed the allegations, saying, “Kigali has been intimately involved in planning and executing the war in eastern DRC… The Rwandan defense forces have provided materiel, logistics and training support to M23, as well as fighting alongside M23.” Waltz warned the U.S. would “use the tools at its disposal to hold to account spoilers to peace.”
The rebel gains are pushing the conflict toward the border of Burundi, which has troops in Congo. Burundi’s UN Ambassador issued a grave warning: “Let me be clear: restraint has its limits. Should these irresponsible attacks continue, it would become extremely difficult to avoid a direct escalation.”
Rwanda’s ambassador denied the accusations, stating, “Rwanda is not waging war against the Republic of Burundi and has no intention of doing that,” and blamed Congolese forces for violating the ceasefire.
The Congolese government called for decisive UN action. Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner told the council, “We have reached a moment of truth… Impunity has gone on for far too long.”
The renewed violence casts serious doubt on the durability of the Washington-mediated peace process and raises the specter of a broader regional war, even as the U.S. engages in urgent diplomacy to prevent further escalation.
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