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Top US diplomat Marco Rubio said on Saturday that Rwanda had clearly violated the peace agreement it signed with the Democratic Republic of Congo in Washington last week and vowed unspecified “action” in response.
The Rwandan-backed M23 armed group advanced in eastern DRC and seized the key border city of Uvira, just days after the two nations’ leaders and US President Donald Trump signed the “Washington Accords” on December 4.
“Rwanda’s actions in eastern DRC are a clear violation of the Washington Accords signed by President Trump, and the United States will take action to ensure promises made to the President are kept,” Secretary of State Rubio wrote on X.
The capture of Uvira, along the border with Burundi, has raised fears that the conflict could escalate into a regional war.
Part of an offensive launched at the beginning of December in South Kivu province, the armed group’s takeover follows its capture earlier this year of Goma and Bukavu, other major cities in the DRC’s mineral-rich east.
Trump had frequently touted the DRC conflict as one of several wars he helped end since returning to the White House.
On Friday, US ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz accused Rwanda of “leading the region toward more instability and toward war.”
“The Rwandan defence forces have provided materiel, logistics and training support to M23 as well as fighting alongside M23 in DRC with roughly 5,000 to 7,000 troops,” not including possible reinforcements during the latest offensive, Waltz told the UN Security Council.
The Rwandan firepower has included surface-to-air missiles, drones and artillery, he added.
Since taking up arms again in 2021, the M23 has seized swathes of territory, displacing tens of thousands and leading to a spiralling humanitarian crisis.
Earlier this month, UN experts said Rwanda’s army and the M23 had carried out summary executions and forced mass displacements of people in the region.
