Ahead of presidential and legislative elections in Rwanda, tense relations with Rwanda’s bigger neighbor, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), remain a deepening challenge for both countries and the broader region, say analysts.
Escalating tensions between the two, intensified by a United Nations report released last week, risk snowballing into a wider regional conflict, some fear.
In eastern DRC, M23 rebels, an armed group formed largely of Rwandans, are engaged in a deadly offensive with the Congolese military that has led to a massive humanitarian and displacement crisis and subsequent mediation efforts by regional leaders.
According to the UN expert group report, 3,000 to 4,000 Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) members are fighting alongside the M23 in DRC. A previous UN report accused Kigali of supporting and aiding M23. This time, though, the experts said Rwanda is the “de facto” leader of the group. RDF operations, it added, “extended beyond mere support” but encompassed “direct and decisive involvement”.
Valtino Omolo, a researcher at the Institute for Strategic Studies (ISS), told Al Jazeera the UN report “[could] possibly lead to increased international actions against Rwanda, such as economic and diplomatic sanctions”.
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