Democratic Republic of Congo President Félix Tshisekedi has accused Rwanda of violating a newly signed ceasefire agreement less than 24 hours after committing to it. Addressing parliament on Monday, Tshisekedi said units of the Rwandan Defense Forces launched and supported heavy-weapons attacks from the Rwandan town of Bugarama into South Kivu province. He reported “significant human and material damage” in Kaziba, Katogota and Lubarika, calling the incident a clear breach of the deal. The accusation comes amid renewed clashes in eastern DRC, where more than 100 armed groups operate in a region rich in minerals. The M23 rebel group backed by Rwanda, according to UN experts has been the strongest challenger to Congolese forces, and fighting has escalated in recent months.
The ceasefire was part of a US-brokered effort signed by Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame in June and finalized during meetings in Washington last week. But over the weekend, thousands of civilians in South Kivu were forced to flee as violence intensified once again. Both the M23 rebels and the Congolese military have accused each other throughout the year of breaking previous ceasefire commitments, with UN experts estimating around 4,000 Rwandan troops are supporting the rebel group.
