UK summons Rwandan envoy over M23 advance in DR Congo

 

Britain's foreign ministry on Tuesday said it had summoned Rwanda's envoy to the UK to condemn advances made by the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

M23 fighters and Rwandan troops marched largely unchecked on Friday into Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, before seizing the city on Sunday.

That capture follows the armed group's rout of the Congolese army to capture the key provincial capital of Goma in North Kivu last month.

"These advances constitute an unacceptable violation of DRC's sovereignty and territorial integrity," a Foreign Office spokesperson said, calling for Rwanda to "immediately withdraw" all Rwanda Defence Forces from Congolese territory.

It said it had summoned Kigali's high commissioner -- equivalent to an ambassador -- in London in response.

"We urge Rwanda to immediately cease all hostilities and return to dialogue through African-led peace processes," the spokesperson said.

The M23 has seized large swathes of the mineral-rich eastern DRC and faced limited resistance from Congolese forces.

United Nations experts say Rwanda effectively controls the M23 and has at least 4,000 troops fighting alongside the group.

The DRC government accuses Rwanda of "expansionist ambitions" and says it is stealing vast amounts of minerals, but its calls for international sanctions on Rwanda have not succeeded.

Rwanda denies supporting the M23 militarily.

It accuses the DRC of sheltering the FDLR, an armed group created by Hutus who took part in the massacre of Tutsis during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

On Sunday the UK government warned of the risk of wider conflict after the M23 and Rwandan troops' march into Bukavu, saying there could be "no military solution".