Thousands demonstrated in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) city of Goma, denouncing Rwanda’s alleged support for M23 rebels, as Kinshasa recalled its acting ambassador from Kigali in a further deterioration of relations. The protests on Monday come as the M23 has tightened its grip on the surrounding area. “We denounce the hypocrisy of the international community in the face of Rwanda’s aggression,” Mambo Kawaya, a civil society representative who attended the demonstration, told AFP news agency. A predominantly Congolese Tutsi group, M23 resumed fighting in late 2021 after being dormant for years, accusing the Congolese government of failing to honor an agreement to integrate its fighters into the army. The group’s resurgence has destabilized regional relations in central Africa, with the DRC accusing its smaller neighbor Rwanda of supporting the rebel group. The front line between the Congolese army and M23 has been calm for several weeks, but fresh clashes since October 20 have seen the rebel group advance across North Kivu province. The rebels have in recent days captured the towns of Kiwanja and Rutshuru, along a strategic highway leading to the capital of Goma province, which is located on the border with Rwanda. On Sunday, the DRC government ordered Rwandan ambassador Vincent Karega to leave the country within 48 hours. Rwanda said it noted the decision “with regret”. The DRC’s foreign ministry has recalled its charge d’affaires from Kigali and ordered its newly appointed ambassador to Rwanda not to register his credentials, it said in a statement on Monday. Despite official denials from Kigali, an unpublished UN report seen by AFP in August showed Rwanda’s involvement with M23 [Arlette Bashizi/Reuters] On Sunday, Rwanda accused the DPRK of escalating tensions between the two countries and said its forces along the border “remain on alert”. The rebel group first rose to prominence in 2012 when it briefly occupied Goma before being driven out by a joint Congolese-UN offensive. It is one of dozens of armed groups roaming eastern DRC, many of them a legacy of two regional wars that broke out at the end of the last century. Despite official denials from Kigali, an unpublished UN report seen by AFP in August showed Rwanda’s involvement with M23. The same report said M23 plans to seize Goma, a major commercial hub of about one million people, to extract political concessions from the DRC government. Rwandan President Paul Kagame tweeted on Monday that he had a discussion with UN chief Antonio Guterres on how to de-escalate the tension.
