Rwandan Government Regrets DR Congo’s Decision To Expel Its Envoy From Kinhasa

The Rwandan government on Sunday said it regretted the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) decision to expel its envoy from Kinshasa, reported The CGTN Africa.

“Rwanda notes with regret the decision by the Government of the DRC to expel Rwandan Ambassador Vincent Karega,” the statement by Rwanda read in part. “Rwandan security forces at our border with the DRC remain on alert, as we continue to monitor the Congolese escalation.”

The statement added that the continued collusion between the Congolese forces with the FDLR and their attempts to target the border area is a matter of big concern. It also condemned hate speech and violence in DR Congo against Rwandans and Kinyarwanda speaking Congolese communities.

On Saturday, the DRC government ordered Rwandan Ambassador Vincent Karega to leave the country within 48 hours after accusing Kigali of supporting the March 23 Movement (M23), which has been engaged in fierce fighting with the Congolese military and seized more territory.

The government spokesman Patrick Muyaya made the announcement after a defence council meeting, which was led by President Felix Tshisekedi, in the wake of the M23 rebels seizing control of Kiwanja and Rutshuru in the North Kivu province.

The DRC authorities have repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting the rebels, an allegation Rwanda continue to deny. The decision to expel Karega is likely to further stoke tensions between the two countries whose relations have been at odds for decades.

Muyaya said it has been observed that there has been a massive arrival of the Rwandan troops to support the M23 terrorists against DR Congo’s troops.

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the DR Congo, MONUSCO, strongly condemned the hostile actions of the M23 rebels. The mission recently increased its troop alert level as conflict spiked in the country.

It is estimated that the fighting has displaced around 250,000 people so far.