France has issued a plea urging Rwanda to terminate all forms of assistance to the M23 rebels operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and to withdraw its military presence from the region.
In a statement, the French foreign ministry emphasised, “We call on Rwanda to cease all support to the M23 and to withdraw from Congolese territory,” the foreign ministry stated. “M23 must cease fighting immediately and withdraw from all areas it occupies.”
The DRC government, along with the United Nations and several Western nations, asserts that Rwanda is providing support to the rebels in eastern DRC to assert control over valuable mineral resources. However, Rwanda refutes these allegations.
Later on Tuesday, the United States echoed similar sentiments at the UN, cautioning both Rwanda and the DRC to step back from the brink of conflict.
Recent clashes between the predominantly Tutsi M23 insurgents and Congolese government forces have intensified in the vicinity of Sake, situated 20 kilometres from Goma in North Kivu province.
After a period of dormancy, the M23, also known as the March 23 Movement, reemerged in late 2021 and has since seized significant territories in Nord Kivu province.
The eastern region of the DRC has long been plagued by various militias, a grim legacy of the regional conflicts that ravaged the area during the 1990s and early 2000s.
