Key Points
- Rwanda condemns SADC for supporting the DRC against M23 rebels.
- SADC accuses Rwanda of attacking its troops in North Kivu.
- Rwanda calls for dialogue but warns against further escalation.
Tensions in the region have increased as a result of Rwanda’s harsh criticism of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) for recent threats of military action against South Africa.
Rwanda slams SADC’s involvement in the DRC conflict
The reaction follows a meeting held in Harare on January 31 where SADC, under the leadership of Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, announced that the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (SAMIDRC) should refrain from fighting against the M23 rebel group, which they referred to as Congolese citizens.
Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs charged SADC with aggressiveness and supporting the Congolese government in its fight against its own citizens in a statement issued on Sunday.
In support of the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s war against its own people, the M23, and their community members—many of whom have fled as refugees to Rwanda and other countries in the region—SADC has deployed an offensive force, SAMIDRC, according to the statement.
It went on to say, “As President Tshisekedi has stated publicly and repeatedly, the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is also determined to attack Rwanda and its government.”
Along with coalition forces including the Burundian military, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), and European mercenaries, SAMIDRC was accused in the statement of escalating the violence.
The statement went on to say, “They should not be there fighting the citizens of that country and effectively bringing war to Rwanda.”
A proposed combined summit between the SADC and the East African Community to try to find a solution to the ongoing war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was welcomed by Rwanda in spite of its criticism.
Rwanda’s announcement comes after regional officials accused Rwandan military forces of murdering SADC personnel stationed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during an emergency SADC meeting held in Harare last Friday. The SAMIDRC expedition included thirteen of these South African soldiers.
“As such actions violated the ceasefire that was brokered through the Luanda Process on July 30, 2024, and undermine peace and security in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the SADC region, the summit strongly condemned the attacks on the SAMIDRC troops by the M23 operating in the Eastern DRC,” according to a statement from SADC.
M23’s role in the conflict sparks regional tensions
The M23 and Rwanda Defense Forces’ attacks against Congolese government forces, SAMIDRC personnel, and civilians in North Kivu have also drawn criticism from SADC.
Paul Kagame, the president of Rwanda, and his administration have denied the charges.
The M23, which the UN has long claimed receives backing from the Rwandan government, has been roundly denounced by SADC.
The March 23 Movement, or M23, was a rebel organization that first appeared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2012. In 2009, as part of a peace deal, the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP), a militia, was incorporated into the Congolese army. Numerous ex-CNDP combatants said the deal was broken, especially when it came to their safety and integration.
These complaints resulted in the mutiny on March 23, 2012, which gave rise to the M23. The group, which is mostly made up of Tutsis from the Congo, has been charged with violating human rights.
