DRC Condemns Rwanda For Refusing To Accept Refugees Fleeing Conflict In Eastern Part

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Wednesday condemned Rwanda for saying it will no longer accept people fleeing conflict in the eastern part of the country, reported The Eyewitness News.

Patrick Muyaya, a spokesman for the Congolese government, said the remarks by Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame proved that human rights were of no value to him.

Muyaya accused Kigali of blackmailing the international community by using refugees for political purposes. He said President Kagame had revealed his true intentions. He accused Kigali of trying to divert international attention from Rwanda’s responsibility.

Persistent fighting in the east of the mineral-rich DRC pits federal troops against rebels from the M23 group, which has captured swathes of territory.

The DRC, the United States and many other European countries have repeatedly accused Rwanda of backing the Tutsi-led rebels, although Kigali denies the charge.

On Monday, Kagame told the upper house of parliament that the refugees are “not Rwanda’s problem. And we are going to ensure that everybody realizes that it is not Rwanda’s problem”.

He said Rwanda refuses to carry the burden of the refugees.

In November, the UN said around 72,000 Congolese had crossed into Rwanda, fleeing a conflict between the government and the M23 rebels.

Kigali has repeatedly blamed Kinshasa for the crisis and accused the DRC of allegedly supporting the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a mainly Rwandan rebel movement implicated in the 1994 genocide of Tutsis.

Rwanda has also accused the DR Congo of using the conflict for political purposes as well as of fabricating a November massacre of at least 131 civilians.

A UN probe blamed the deaths on M23 rebels. A ceasefire agreement and the deployment of Kenyan forces through the East African Community (EAC) have so far failed to halt the violence.

The DRC is scheduled to host presidential elections next December.