Rwanda accuses Burundi and DR Congo of violating the ceasefire in South Kivu
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation emphasized in a statement issued on Wednesday, December 10, that the governments of Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have responsibility for ceasefire violations in South Kivu Province.
Kinshasa and its allies are responsible for the ongoing conflict between the AFC/M23 movement and a coalition of the DR Congo government that comprises Burundian forces, foreign mercenaries, Wazalendo local militias, and the FDLR genocidal group, the ministry claims.
Around December 2, fighting intensified as AFC/M23 revealed that civilians in South Kivu had been the target of “deadly attacks” by DR Congo coalition forces. The insurrection claims that main axes such as Katogota-Luvungi, Kaziba-Haut Plateau, Tchivanga-Hombo, and Kasika-Mwenga were the focus of the attacks.
The “deadly attacks,” which are in violation of ceasefire agreements, compelled them to react, according to Corneille Nangaa, the political coordinator of AFC/M23. After then, fighting broke out, and the rebels made considerable gains, capturing various parts of the province. They have reportedly moved into Uvira, the second-biggest city in South Kivu.
The foreign ministry made a statement emphasizing that Rwanda “cannot be placed on Rwanda” for violating the truce.
The statement stated that “Rwanda condemns the Congolese Army (FARDC) and the Burundian Army (FDNB),” along with its coalition of foreign mercenaries, Wazalendo, and the FDLR genocidal militias backed by Kinshasa. It further stated that the Congolese coalition has been using fighter jets and attack drones to systematically bomb civilian villages near the Rwandan border, which the AFC/M23 has claimed it has been forced to retaliate.
According to the government, more than 1,000 Congolese people were compelled to flee to Bugarama, in southern Rwanda, where they are being housed at Nyarushishi Transit Camp, following last week’s bombing of Kamanyola, in Burundi.
The ministry added that the Burundian army has sent about 20,000 troops to South Kivu to aid the Congolese government. Notably, the army has besieged Banyamulenge communities in Minembwe, seemingly in an effort to starve the locals.
“Even as the peace process progressed, the DRC openly declared that it would not abide by any ceasefire and was fighting to regain regions lost to AFC/M23. Even though the world community had its own methods of verification and the majority of the information was publicly accessible, the facts of this ongoing search for a military solution were brought to their knowledge. The DRC has been preparing these attacks for months, and they were started within the last week, but the international community has not called for an end to them, the statement said.
The Washington Accords’ ultimate goal of resolving the war in eastern DR Congo is being hampered by Kinshasa’s reluctance to neutralize FDLR as mandated by the June 2025 peace deal, Kigali once again criticized.
Even though President Tshisekedi attended the ceremony on December 4th as if compelled to sign the Accords, it is now evident that the DRC was never prepared to commit to peace. The people in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to suffer as a result of these willful breaches of previously negotiated agreements, which also pose a security risk to Rwanda’s western border, the ministry stated.
Kinshasa and AFC/M23 must immediately finalize the remaining annexes of the Doha Agreement and return to full implementation of the Washington Accords, according to Kigali. According to the ministry, this is still the best way to bring about peace, stability, and prosperity in the Great Lakes region.
