LONDON: The UK government said Tuesday that it was suspending most direct bilateral aid to Rwanda over an offensive by the M23 group in eastern DR Congo that UN experts say is supported by Rwandan soldiers.
“Rwanda may have security concerns but it is unacceptable to resolve these militarily. There can only be a political solution to this conflict,” a government spokesperson said, adding that the aid would be suspended “until significant progress” was made in reducing the fighting.
Rwanda responded by slamming the measures as “punitive”.
Congo’s M23 rebels consolidate control over a devastated Goma
The UK announcement comes after UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy met last week with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Kigali and Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi in Kinshasa.
The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group has seized large swathes of the mineral-rich eastern DRC, including the main cities of Goma and Bukavu, in the face of limited resistance from Congolese forces.
It now controls large tracts of the troubled region and its rapid advance has sent thousands fleeing.
The UK government spokesperson said Lammy had “been clear that there would be a strong response from the international community in response to the escalating conflict”.
“The UK calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, humanitarian access, respect for international humanitarian law, meaningful engagement with African-led peace processes, and the withdrawal of all Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) from Congolese territory,” the spokesperson said.
Until “significant progress” is made the UK will also suspend future defence training assistance to Rwanda and consult with partners on “potential new sanctions”, the Foreign Office statement added.
Export licences for the RDF would also be reviewed.
“The punitive measures announced today by the UK Government in response to the conflict in eastern DRC – where the UK has now clearly chosen a side – are regrettable,” Rwanda’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
“The measures do nothing to help the Democratic Republic of Congo, nor do they contribute to achieving a sustainable political solution to the conflict in eastern DRC.”
For more than three decades eastern DR Congo has been riven by conflict and fighting between rival armed groups.