DR Congo military prohibits soldiers from establishing links with FDLR
The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo announced Tuesday it has banned its soldiers from engaging in any contact with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebel group. “Any violation of the directive will be dealt with rigorously, in accordance with the laws in force,” army spokesman Gen. Sylvain Ekenge said.
DR Congo and Rwanda’s diplomatic relations have experienced heightened tensions following renewed fighting between government forces and M23 rebels, one of the armed groups fighting in eastern Congo.
Kinshasa accuses Kigali of backing the M23 rebel group since its resurgence in Nov.2021, a charge Rwanda consistently denies.
Kigali has in turn accused the Congolese military of collaborating with the FDLR, whose members are accusing of playing a key role in the 1994 genocide against Tutsi.
The military announcement came after the US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines held separate talks with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Felix Tshisekedi of DR Congo aimed at deescalating tensions.
The presidency in Rwanda said Tuesday the talks held over the weekend were “constructive focused on ways to de-escalate tensions and address the root causes of the security situation in eastern DRC.”
The White House said Haines’s visit aimed to secure commitments from the two leaders to deescalate tensions in eastern Congo.
Kagame and Tshisekedi plan to take specific steps to reduce current tensions by addressing the respective security concerns of both countries, the White House statement said.
It said the US government would closely monitor the actions taken by the DR Congo and Rwanda to ease tensions.
