Renson Mwakandana
The expulsion of the Rwandan Ambassador in Kinshasa was announced by the DRC government on Saturday. Ambassador Vincent Karega was given 48 hours to vacate from his station in DRC.
The expulsion comes after months of hostilities between the DRC and Rwanda on allegations that the latter supported the M23 rebels in the nation’s east. Patrick Muyaya, the Congolese government’s spokesman, made the declaration.
“In view of the above facts, the Superior Defense Council requests the Government to: 1. expel, within 48 hours of notification, Mr. Vincent Karega, the Rwandan Ambassador Plenipotentiary posted in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is due, on the one hand, to Rwanda’s persistent aggression against the DRC and its support for the M23 terrorist movement, which it is using for this purpose”, according to the spokesman.
He continued and added that the arrogant disregard of the Rwandan authorities for the Nairobi and Luanda processes, as well as for the suggestions of the international community, specifically the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU), the East African Community (EAC), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and multilateral partners unanimously demanding the cessation of terrorist activities by the M23 and all external support for it, and its withdrawal.
MONUSCO, the UN mission in the nation, demanded an immediate end to the fighting and denounced what it called “the hostile acts of M23.”
According to local officials and witnesses, the M23 rebel forces have advanced along the vital RN2 highway in the eastern region of North Kivu after last week’s battles.
The mostly Congolese Tutsi rebel organization, which had been dormant for years, started fighting again in late 2021, alleging that the government had broken a commitment to demobilize its fighters.
