The European Union (EU) has recently summoned the Rwandan ambassador to the EU over Rwanda’s alleged involvement in the ongoing offensive in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) alongside M23 rebels. This move comes amid accusations of Rwanda’s interference in the crisis in DRC, which has led to the displacement of millions, thousands of deaths, and widespread destruction of property.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame has consistently denied any involvement in the conflict, but the international community has been pressuring Rwanda to cease its military operations in the DRC. Various bodies, including the EU, the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the African Union, the United States, the United Nations, and other multinational organizations, have all joined in calling for the warring parties to de-escalate military operations in the region.
The EU strongly condemns the offensive in the DRC and has demanded that Rwanda immediately withdraw all its troops from Congolese territory and cease support for M23 and other armed groups. Rwanda, on the other hand, has expressed support for the East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) process, which aims to establish a framework for direct dialogue between all parties involved in the conflict in the DRC.
Rwanda’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Busingye Johnston, has emphasized the need for the EU to apply equal pressure on all parties involved to achieve a ceasefire. The European Parliament has urged the EU to freeze direct budget support for Rwanda until the country severs ties with the M23 rebels and allows humanitarian access to areas of the DRC under rebel control.
In response to recent sanctions imposed by the United States on Rwanda’s Minister of State for Regional Integration and a senior member of an armed group, Rwanda’s foreign ministry condemned the decision as unjustified and unfounded, arguing that the sanctions would not resolve the conflict in the DRC. The European Parliament has also called for the suspension of a memorandum of understanding between Rwanda and the EU, which aims to support Rwandan supplies of strategic minerals, in order to pressure Rwanda to cease its interference in the DRC.
