DR Congo military prohibits soldiers from establishing links with Rwandan rebels

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) –The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo announced Tuesday that they have banned their soldiers from engaging in any contact with Rwandan rebels of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).

“Any violation of the directive will be dealt with rigorously, in accordance with the laws in force,” said army spokesman Gen. Sylvain Ekenge.

Tensions have been heightened between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda following renewed fighting between the DRC’s armed forces and M23 rebels, one of the armed groups fighting in eastern Congo.

Kinshasa accuses Kigali of backing the M23 rebel group since its resurgence in November 2021, a charge Rwanda consistently denies.

Kigali has in turn accused the Congolese military of collaborating with the FDLR, based in eastern Congo.

The military’s announcement came after US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines held separate talks with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and DRC President Felix Tshisekedi aimed at de-escalating tensions.

The presidency in Rwanda said Tuesday that the talks held over the weekend were “constructive, focused on ways to de-escalate tensions and address the root causes of the security situation in eastern DRC.”

The White House said Haines’s visit aimed to secure commitments from the two leaders to de-escalate tensions in eastern Congo.

Kagame and Tshisekedi plan to take specific steps to reduce tensions by addressing the respective security concerns of both countries, the White House statement said.

It said the US government would closely monitor the actions taken by the DRC and Rwanda to ease tensions.

The FDLR attacks on M23 rebels were reported to exacerbate tensions between the DRC and Rwanda, according to a report by the UN Secretary-General issued in early August.