DR Congo and Burundi accuse Rwanda of violating a US-brokered peace deal as M23 rebels advance, threatening the city of Uvira and displacing hundreds
KINSHASA: A peace agreement for the Democratic Republic of Congo is unravelling days after its signing, with the DRC and Burundi accusing Rwanda of violating the accord.
DRC President Felix Tshisekedi told lawmakers that Rwanda violated the deal signed last Thursday in Washington by supporting attacks in South Kivu province.
“Despite our good faith and the recently ratified agreement, it is clear that Rwanda is already violating its commitments,” Tshisekedi stated.
He cited attacks by Rwandan Defence Force units using heavy weaponry the day after the signing ceremony, which was presided over by US President Donald Trump.
The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group advanced rapidly towards the border city of Uvira, near Burundi.
Burundi’s foreign ministry condemned “the recent provocation by Rwanda, which dropped bombs on Burundian territory” near the town of Cibitoke.
The attack wounded two people, including a 12-year-old child.
Hundreds of fleeing Congolese civilians and allied Burundian soldiers have sought refuge inside Burundi, according to local and military sources.
UN experts reported on Sunday that Rwanda’s army and the M23 had carried out summary executions and forced mass displacements in the region.
Clashes were also reported near Luvungi, about 60 kilometres north of Uvira, with bombings striking the town of Sange.
Rwanda denies offering military support to the M23 but insists it faces a security threat from armed groups in eastern DRC linked to the 1994 genocide.
Burundi views the potential fall of Uvira to Rwanda-backed forces as an existential threat, as the city sits across Lake Tanganyika from its economic capital.
It deployed thousands of soldiers to eastern DRC last year under a military cooperation pact, with reinforcements reportedly increasing that presence to 20,000 troops.
At least 20 Burundian soldiers have been killed on Congolese soil since last Monday, according to Burundian military sources.
The recent violence has forced hundreds more people to flee across the border into Rwanda, worsening the humanitarian crisis in a region plagued by three decades of conflict. – AFP
