Rwanda denies attack on displaced persons camp in DR Congo
Rwanda rejects the U.S. allegations that its forces attacked a camp for displaced persons in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
Rwanda rejected the U.S. allegations on Saturday that its forces attacked a camp for displaced persons in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Instead, Rwanda claimed that militias backed by the Congolese military were responsible for the attack.
The U.S. condemned indignantly the attack that occurred on Friday and claimed the lives of at least nine people, according to a statement from the U.S State Department.
The U.S. has expressed deep concern over the recent actions of the M23 rebel group, reportedly backed by Rwanda and the Rwandan Defense Forces (RDF), in eastern Congo. According to a US statement, the M23 launched an attack from their positions, prompting alarm over the RDF and M23’s expanding presence in the region.
A spokesman for the Rwandan government, Yolande Makolo, denied that the RDF was responsible for the attack and attributed it to Congolese military-backed militias.
“The RDF, a professional army, would never attack an IDP (displaced persons). Look to the lawless FDLR and Wazalendo, supported by the FARDC (Congolese military), for this kind of atrocity,” she said.
While Wazalendo is a Christian sect, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) is a Hutu organization that was founded by Hutu officials who left Rwanda after planning the 1994 genocide.
In recent months, the eastern Congolese capital of Goma has witnessed the approach of the M23 rebels’ two-year offensive, which has compelled thousands of inhabitants from the surrounding areas to seek refuge within the city.
Source: Newsroom
