The European Union came out strongly on Friday against the Rwandan military presence in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Kigali’s support for the M23 rebel movement.
It also called on the Congolese government to cease its support for a Rwandan rebel group that operates on its territory.
“The EU firmly condemns Rwandan support for M23 and Rwanda’s military presence in eastern DRC, as revealed in the report of the United Nations Group of Experts,” the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, said in a statement.
The M23 took up arms again in late 2021, despite an earlier peace deal, capturing large parts of North Kivu, a province on the border with Rwanda. The Kinshasa government accused Kigali of supporting the rebel movement and fighting alongside it. Kigali has denied this, but UN experts confirmed the Congolese allegations in their recent final report.
The EU therefore reiterated its call on Rwanda to withdraw its troops from the neighbouring country, stop supporting the M23 and put pressure on the group by all available means to comply with the decisions taken within the framework of peace processes brokered in Nairobi and Luanda.
At the same time, the EU urged the Congolese government to stop supporting the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, FDLR - a Rwandan rebel group that operates in the DRC - and other local and foreign armed groups.
It also called on Kinshasa to take all legal and legitimate measures to protect the civilian population on its territory.
