WASHINGTON (AP) – The United States government has strongly criticized the Rwandan government’s support of the M23 armed group, which is currently carrying out violent attacks in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, issued a statement through a press release titled “Escalation of Hostilities in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo,” available on the Department’s website. The statement highlighted that the M23 armed group, backed by the Rwandan government, is currently subject to sanctions imposed by both the U.S. and the U.N. for various violations.
Furthermore, the statement emphasized that the M23 armed group had launched an incursion into the town of Sake in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, resulting in egregious human rights abuses such as displacement, deprivation, and attacks.
In addition to expressing disapproval of Rwanda’s support for the M23 armed group, the United States government called on Rwanda to promptly withdraw all Rwanda Defense Force personnel from the DRC and to dismantle its surface-to-air missile systems.
Moreover, the US government called on the M23 armed group to immediately cease hostilities and retreat from its current positions surrounding Sake and Goma.
Miller also emphasized that every state involved in the conflict must respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and they should hold all individuals accountable for human rights violations in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo conflict.
Over the span of three decades, the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been marred by persistent violent conflicts, particularly along its border with Rwanda, involving over 100 rebel factions. Presently, the border towns of Sake and Goma are engulfed in an ongoing conflict, with the rebel group known as the March 23 (M23) movement, allegedly supported by the Rwandan government, conducting attacks on civilians and engaging in mortar exchanges with the DRC army.
While the M23 insurgency purports to defend the rights of the Congolese Tutsi community against Rwandan Hutu killers who fled after the genocide, the abundant mineral resources in the border region serve as a significant incentive. Social media platforms are inundated with images depicting the severity of the hostilities in eastern DRC, prompting a mass exodus of civilians fleeing for safety.