Rwanda has also emphasized that border security has been reinforced where its soldiers are standby to defend territorial integrity.

The statement released on Monday 27th February 2023, reads that Rwanda hails the outcomes of the recent meetings held during the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, on the situation in Eastern DRC.

Rwanda has stated that taken resolutions complement existing ones adopted by regional mechanisms including Luanda and Nairobi processes with a view to find a solution to DR Congo’s problems through dialogues.

The decisions were endorsed by other international organizations including the United Nations (UN), European Union (EU) and US.

On 22nd February 2022, the United States released a statement commending the progress on restoring security in eastern DRC but accused Rwanda of supporting M23, asked the country to halt it and withdraw troops from Congo.

Rwanda has through a released statement insisted that the United States ‘appears consistently out of step with the decisions of the regional processes, and risks undermining them, by continuing to endorse the DRC Government’s false narrative blaming Rwanda for the crisis’.

“The repeated failure by the international community to condemn the DRC Government for the preservation of the FDLR encourages DRC to continue arming and fighting alongside this genocidal militia, which has conducted cross-border attacks in Rwanda while embedded with the Congolese army [FARDC],” reads part of the statement.

“This constitutes a direct and serious threat to Rwanda’s security. The FDLR is not a benign or inconsequential force, and the ultimate goal of its partnership with FARDC is to attack Rwanda,” adds the statement.

Congolese soldiers and mercenaries at common border area

Recent resolutions reached through meetings of regional heads of state demand concerned parties in eastern DRC to lay arms down to facilitate proper implementation.

Despite the resolutions, Rwanda has revealed, DRC defied the regional decisions.

“DRC has opted for continued military escalation in recent months, in defiance of regional decisions. In the context of increasingly bellicose statements by DRC civilian and military leaders, the DRC is deploying new hardware capabilities and foreign mercenaries in the common border area,” reads the statement.

Rwanda has said that it can’t idly sit by amidst its security threats targeting the country.

“Given Rwanda’s legitimate security concerns, defensive and preventive mechanisms have accordingly been reinforced to guard against violations of our airspace and borders. These contingencies are ready to act to prevent any cross-border threat, proportionately to its magnitude, origin, and nature. We will not allow any spill-over into Rwanda from any armed group, and total security for our territory and our people will be ensured,” Rwanda has affirmed.

The country has also expressed commitment to work within regional frameworks to contribute to stability in the region but insisted that it ‘cannot accept for its security concerns to be trivialized and ignored’.

Rwanda has assured that its soldiers are standby to prevent cross-border threat.