Crystal Dike
Rwanda on Wednesday accused the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi of deliberately violating a ceasefire in eastern DRC, just days after a peace agreement was signed in Washington.
The accusation followed the entry of Rwandan-backed M23 fighters into the strategic eastern Congolese city of Uvira, near the Burundian border, late on Tuesday. Uvira is the latest major settlement to fall in the mineral-rich region, which has been ravaged by decades of conflict.
According to military sources, thousands of civilians and scores of Congolese soldiers have fled across the border into Burundi. Burundi has deployed troops to support the DRC in its fight against the Kigali-backed M23 rebels and their Rwandan allies.
In a statement posted on X on Wednesday, Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said recent violations “cannot be placed on Rwanda.” The ministry accused the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) and the Burundian Defence Force (FDNB) of systematically bombing civilian villages close to Rwanda’s border.
“The Congolese Army (FARDC) and the Burundian Army (FDNB) have been systematically bombing civilian villages close to the Rwandan border, using fighter jets and attack drones, which the AFC/M23 has said it has been forced to counter,” the statement said.
It added that the actions amounted to “deliberate violations of recently negotiated agreements” and described them as “serious obstacles to peace.”
The renewed violence threatens to undermine the agreement brokered by United States President Donald Trump and signed by Kinshasa and Kigali on December 4 aimed at ending the conflict in eastern DRC.
Meanwhile, the United States and several European countries, in a joint statement issued on Tuesday, urged the M23 and Rwanda to immediately halt their ongoing offensive and respect the terms of the ceasefire.