Africa

Rwanda protests exclusion from AU meeting on eastern DRC conflict

President of Rwanda Paul Kagame attends the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa on February 17, 2024. (Photo: Michele Spatari/AFP)

By Mwangi Maina | Tuesday, March 5, 2024

The council discussed the military intervention being carried out by SADC forces, led by South Africa.

Rwanda on Monday opposed the African Union's endorsement and potential support of the Southern African Development Community Mission in Eastern DRC.

The African Union Peace and Security Council chaired by Namibia, a member of the South African Development Community, had convened on Monday to discuss the ongoing situation in the mineral-rich region.

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The council discussed the military intervention being carried out by SADC forces, led by South Africa.

Rwanda, a protagonist in the conflict, was notably excluded from the meeting, making Kigali convey a four-page protest to Commission top boss Moussa Faki Mahamat, expressing concerns that the deployment of these forces poses a threat not only to Rwanda but also to the wider region.

"The Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC) is fighting alongside a FARDC-led coalition which includes the Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) genocidal forces, ethnic-driven local armed groups allied to FDLR under the umbrella of Wazalendo, and Burundian armed forces under a bilateral agreement...," read part of the protest note.

It further adds, "...European mercenaries and private military security companies including one associated with the former Blackwater, as reported by the UN Group of Experts on DRC in December 2023."

"Offensive nature"

Rwanda urged the African Union not to "authorise" or fund the mission.

It decried that the offensive nature of the force cannot substitute a political process that has been blocked by Kinshasa.

Kigali once again accused the presidents of DR Congo and Burundi of intentions to stage and support a regime change in Rwanda.

Interestingly, the 15-member body responsible for overseeing key AU mechanisms for promoting peace, security, and stability in Africa includes DRC, a newly elected member, along with Burundi, Tanzania, and South Africa.

All of these countries have deployed forces in Eastern Congo to support the Congolese forces (FARDC) in combating the M23 insurgency.

South Africa and Burundi, both outgoing members, are set to depart the council in April at the conclusion of their two-year term.

The 15-member states body tasked with carrying key AU mechanisms for promoting peace, security and stability in the African continent is composed of the DRC, Burundi, Tanzania and South Africa, which are all supporting Kinshasa in stabilising the eastern region and have deployed their forces to lethally fight the M23 rebels.