By James Tasamba
KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - The Democratic Republic of Congo summoned Uganda’s ambassador over Kampala’s recent decision to reopen its land borders with eastern Congo in positions controlled by the M23 rebels.
Congo’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, summoned Farid Kaliisa to inform him of her government’s displeasure following recent developments deemed “concerning” by the Congolese authorities, according to a statement.
During the discussions, Wagner clearly expressed her government’s position that it remains committed to protecting its sovereignty and the integrity of its territory, it said.
This came days after Chris Magezi, military assistant to the Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) of the Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF), said the border crossings between Uganda and Congo in the M23-controlled areas of Bunagana and Ishasha were reopened on July 10, following a directive from President Yoweri Museveni.
M23 rebels intensified their offensive in eastern Congo in November 2021.
The group, allegedly supported by Rwanda, now controls significant territory in eastern Congo.
The border crossings were closed in late January after M23 rebels seized Goma, the capital of Congo’s North Kivu Province.
The rebels captured the Bunagana border in June 2022. Congo’s North Kivu province serves as a key market for Ugandan goods.
Analysts have warned that reopening the borders would boost the rebels’ funding through taxation of goods entering Congo, which incensed Kinshasa.
Last week, North Kivu military governor Gen. Evariste Kakule Somo summoned a Ugandan diplomat who heads the North Kivu liaison office for “questioning on why Uganda took a unilateral decision to reopen the borders without prior consultation with the Congolese authorities.”