By Atoyebi Nike
Rwanda on Wednesday accused the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi of breaking the newly negotiated ceasefire in eastern DRC. The allegation came after M23 rebels, backed by Kigali, captured the strategic city of Uvira near the Burundian border on Tuesday night.
The fall of Uvira forced thousands of civilians and several Congolese soldiers to flee into Burundi. Burundian forces have since joined Congolese troops in the fight against M23 and its Rwandan allies, military sources reported.
Rwanda’s foreign ministry rejected responsibility for the renewed clashes. Its statement on X claimed that forces from the Congolese Army (FARDC) and the Burundian Army (FDNB) had bombed civilian villages near the Rwandan border using jets and attack drones. According to Kigali, these attacks compelled the AFC/M23 to respond.
The ministry described the military escalation as a breach of the peace agreement signed in Washington on December 4. It warned that such actions threaten the fragile truce.
The United States and several European governments issued a joint appeal on Tuesday calling on Kigali and M23 to halt their offensive immediately.
