A first class soldier of the Rwandan special forces unit, captured at the Lubero front in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), was presented on Thursday at a press conference held by the spokesperson for Sokola 1 Grand Nord-Kivu operations, Lieutenant Colonel Mak Hazukay.
This soldier, captured last Saturday between Mambasa and Ndoluma in the middle of combat, was described by the Congolese authorities as tangible proof of Rwanda's direct involvement in the conflict in the DRC. "It is Rwanda that is fighting the DRC," Lieutenant Colonel Hazukay told journalists gathered in the Lubero hills.
Kinshasa accuses Kigali of having deployed more than 4,000 soldiers on its territory, mainly in the province of North Kivu, where clashes have intensified in recent months. These accusations are supported by United Nations reports, which confirm that Rwandan forces are no longer limited to supporting the M23 rebel group, but are also carrying out direct military interventions.
"There are credible reports that Rwanda's military interventions in North Kivu have extended beyond operations in support of the M23," Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, said Monday during a Security Council session on the situation in the DRC.
The Security Council recently extended the mandate of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) by one year, until December 2025. The United States supported this decision while regretting the absence of an explicit mention of Rwanda's role in the destabilization of eastern Congo.
"We are disappointed that some Council members have been unwilling to include language describing Rwanda's role in eastern DRC," Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.
She added that Rwandan forces, estimated at 3,000 to 4,000 men, are actively supporting the M23 rebels and reinforcing their positions in North Kivu.
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