UN Chief Urges Withdrawal of Rwandan Forces from DR Congo

Monday 27 January 2025 - 10:10

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has called for the withdrawal of Rwandan forces from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and urged them to cease their support for armed groups advancing towards the strategic city of Goma in eastern DRC.

Reports indicate that M23 fighters, backed by thousands of Rwandan troops, are rapidly approaching Goma, a city near the border with Rwanda that hosts over one million residents. The intensifying conflict has led to the deaths of several international peacekeepers.

In a statement on Sunday, Guterres expressed deep concern about the escalating violence and directly appealed to the Rwandan military to halt their support for M23 and withdraw from Congolese territory. This statement follows a UN expert report citing Rwanda's backing of the M23 group, although Guterres had previously refrained from explicitly calling for Rwanda’s withdrawal.

The violence has escalated to such an extent that three UN peacekeepers were killed within 48 hours in the region. Guterres reminded all parties that attacks on UN personnel could constitute war crimes. In response to the deteriorating security situation, the UN has begun evacuating non-essential personnel from Goma.

During an emergency session of the UN Security Council on Sunday, countries like France, the United Kingdom, and the United States urged Rwanda to withdraw its forces. However, other members, including China and African nations, refrained from directly naming Rwanda, focusing instead on affirming the importance of the DRC's territorial sovereignty.

France’s ambassador to the UN, Nicolas de Riviere, emphasized the need for a Security Council statement addressing Rwanda’s alleged role in the conflict, calling it a severe threat to regional peace and stability. Meanwhile, DRC's foreign minister, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, called for economic and political sanctions against Kigali, accusing Rwanda of deploying additional troops to the region and equating it to a "declaration of war."

Rwanda’s ambassador to the UN, Ernest Rwamucyo, denied these accusations and instead blamed Kinshasa for the deteriorating situation, accusing the Congolese government of failing to commit to peace and suggesting that UN peacekeepers were aligned with factions seeking regime change in Rwanda.

The ongoing conflict has displaced approximately 230,000 people. Eastern DRC, a region rich in mineral resources, has long been plagued by armed militias vying for control, with violence surging and receding since the 1990s.