Washington’s envoy to the UN said on Friday that the US is “profoundly concerned and incredibly disappointed” over the renewed outbreak of violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, accusing Rwanda of leading the East African region towards expanded conflict.
“Rather than a march towards peace, as we saw under President [Donald] Trump's leadership in recent weeks, Rwanda is leading the region towards increased instability and war,” Mike Waltz told the Security Council.
The M23 armed group – widely believed to be backed by Rwanda – has seized large swathes of the eastern DRC over the past year and has resumed its offensive in recent days, capturing the key city of Uvira.
The Tutsi rebel group has been operating in the DRC for more than a decade, with the latest iteration of the conflict beginning in 2021, as the group fights for ethnic rights and control over mineral resources.
The escalation comes despite Washington's diplomatic efforts. Last week, Mr Trump hosted Rwandan President Paul Kagame and DRC President Felix Tshisekedi for talks aimed at ending the conflict, but the latest M23 offensive was already under way as the leaders met.
Mr Trump has claimed he is responsible for ending eight wars, including the conflict in East Africa.
“We are deeply concerned that the Rwandan military's continued presence in Congolese territory in support of M23,” Mr Waltz said, warning that Washington will use “the tools at our disposal to hold to account spoilers to peace”.
He called on Rwanda to uphold its commitments as well as to recognise the DRC government's right to defend its territory and invite Burundian forces into its territory to track down rebels from their own country and help the fight against M23.
UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix warned that the escalating fighting risks spiralling into a wider regional conflict as M23 continues to make territorial gains.
Briefing the UN Security Council, Mr Lacroix said the new offensive by M23 forces in South Kivu had revived the spectre of a spreading “conflagration” across Africa’s Great Lakes region, which could have “incalculable consequences”.
He added that the conflict was becoming “increasingly regionalised”, pointing to the direct or indirect involvement of armed forces and groups from neighbouring countries, as well as cross-border movements of displaced civilians and combatants.
Mr Lacroix also warned that the latest developments pose a serious threat to the DRC's territorial integrity, saying there was a growing risk of the country’s progressive fragmentation, particularly in its east.
