Congolese storm border to protest Rwanda’s alleged backing for armed rebels

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) – Hundreds of pro-Congolese army demonstrators stormed the shared western border with Rwanda on Wednesday to protest the country’s alleged support for the M23 rebels.

Protesters carrying anti-Rwanda placards attempted to cross the border into neighboring East African country, pushing metallic bars across before being pushed back by border security troops.

Congolese police used tear gas shells to disperse the protesters.

Video footage shared on social media shows protestors pelting Rwandan border police with stones, causing travel across the border to be suspended for hours.

Congolese have been staging protests on a regular basis in recent weeks, as tensions between the two countries have risen after the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) accused Rwanda of supporting M23 rebels in renewed fighting in the country’s eastern North Kivu province.

Rwanda, on the other hand, has repeatedly dismissed the allegations.

The latest in a series of protests was planned by a civil society group in Goma, the capital of North Kivu, after rebels this week seized the Bunagana town, which borders Uganda.

In their memorandum to the provincial authorities, the demonstrators expressed their objection to any negotiations with Rwanda, which they claim militarily supports the M23 rebels.

“We don’t want this double-edged sword diplomacy. We do not want to engage in dialogue with Rwanda,” Marion Nghavo, president of Goma civil society, said in the memorandum.

After several days of fighting, the M23 rebels seized the eastern town of Bunagana, displacing thousands of people.

On Monday, Gen. Sylvain Ekenge, spokesman for the military governor of North Kivu, accused the Rwandan army of “violating our frontier and territorial integrity by occupying Bunagana.”

There was no immediate comment from the Rwandan government on the latest claims, but it maintains that the conflict in DR Congo is an internal matter.

Both governments have expressed their intention to defuse tensions through dialogue.

Following reports of recent rocket fire from neighboring DR Congo, the Rwandan army assured the people on Tuesday that their security and territorial integrity are protected.

The Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) statement came days after the alleged rocket fire from DR Congo into the shared border.

The RDF stated that it will continue to work to prevent cross-border attacks.

Rwanda has accused the Congolese army of collaborating with Rwandan rebels from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), members of which are accused of genocide against the Tutsi ethnic group in 1994.

On Monday, Yolande Makolo, Rwandan government spokesperson, criticized a statement by Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary general, in the context of the latest fighting.

In his statement on Saturday, Dujarric reaffirmed the UN’s “strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the DRC and strongly condemned “the use of proxies.”

However, Makolo responded that the “sovereignty of all countries is equal, whether it is Rwanda or DR Congo.”

According to the UN, the armed conflict has displaced more than 117,000 people in DR Congo’s Rutshuru and Nyiragongo territories since March.