The foreign minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, expressed grave concerns on Sunday, stating that an “attack of unprecedented intensity is occurring in full view of the international community.”
Her remarks were made during an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council.
She highlighted that “additional Rwandan troops have crossed the boundary markers 12 and 13 between Goma and Gisenyi, intruding into our territory in broad daylight, in a clear and intentional breach of our national sovereignty.”
Wagner characterized this action as “a direct act of aggression, a declaration of war that no longer conceals itself behind diplomatic pretenses.”
This statement coincided with the advance of M23 rebels, who are committed to protecting Tutsi interests, alongside Rwandan forces into the outskirts of Goma in eastern DRC.
The Rwandan-supported rebel faction has achieved considerable territorial advancements in the area in recent weeks.
Goma, the provincial capital, is home to approximately two million residents and serves as a critical center for security and humanitarian operations.
Rwanda, which denies providing support to the rebels, has attributed the conflict to the DRC’s backing of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a group formed by Hutus who fled Rwanda following the 1994 genocide against Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
Ernest Rwamucyo, Rwanda’s ambassador to the UN, stated, “For the past thirty years, instability, attacks, infiltration, shelling, and loss of life due to armed group activities on Rwandan soil have consistently originated from across the border, from the DRC.”
Why is the DRC choosing to maintain a relationship with the FDLR, effectively treating them as a strategic partner? It is imperative for the DRC to sever ties, neutralize, and fully remove the FDLR from its land to achieve lasting peace, he stated.
On Sunday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Rwandan forces to withdraw from the DRC and stop their support for the M23 rebels, who are advancing towards Goma.
The rebel faction announced on Monday that it had taken control of the city. The escalating violence around Goma has resulted in the deaths of several foreign peacekeepers.
