US scolds Rwanda for breaking peace deal as M23 rebels seize key Congo city | Rwanda

The US has accused Rwanda of violating a US-brokered peace agreement by backing a deadly new rebel offensive in the mineral-rich eastern Congo, and warned action will be taken against “spoilers”.

The remarks by the US amb***ador to the UN, Mike Waltz, came as more than 400 civilians have been killed since the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels escalated their offensive in eastern Congo’s South Kivu province, according to officials who also say Rwandan special forces were in the strategic city of Uvira.

Waltz on Friday told the UN security council that the US was “profoundly concerned and incredibly disappointed with the renewed outbreak of violence” by M23.

“Rwanda is leading the region towards increased instability and war,” Waltz warned. “We will use the tools at our disposal to hold to account spoilers to peace.”

He called on Rwanda to respect Congo’s right to defend its territory and invite friendly forces from neighbouring Burundi to fight alongside Congolese forces. He also said the US was engaging with all sides “to urge restraint and to avoid further escalation”.

The rebels’ latest offensive comes despite a US-mediated peace agreement signed last week by the Congolese and Rwandan presidents in Washington.

The accord didn’t include the rebel group, which is negotiating separately with Congo and agreed earlier this year to a ceasefire that both sides accuse the other of violating. However, it obliges Rwanda to halt support for armed groups such as M23 and work to end hostilities.

The rebels’ advance pushed the conflict to the doorstep of neighbouring Burundi, which has maintained troops in eastern Congo for years, heightening fears of a broader regional spillover.

Congo’s ministry of communication confirmed in a statement on Friday that M23 had seized the strategic port city of Uvira in eastern Congo, on the northern tip of Lake Tanganyika and directly across from Burundi’s largest city, Bujumbura.

Uvira was Congo’s government’s last major foothold in South Kivu after the provincial capital, Bukavu, fell to the rebels in February. Its capture allows the rebels to consolidate a broad corridor of influence across the east.

M23 said it had taken control of Uvira on Wednesday afternoon, after a rapid offensive since the start of the month. Along with the more than 400 killed, about 200,000 have been displaced, regional officials say.

Civilians fleeing eastern Congo have also crossed into Burundi, and there have been reports of shells falling in the town of Rugombo, on the Burundian side of the border, raising concerns about the conflict spilling over into Burundian territory.

More than 100 armed groups are vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo, near the border with Rwanda, most prominently M23. The conflict has created one of the world’s most significant humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people displaced, according to the UN agency for refugees.

Congo, the US and UN experts accuse Rwanda of backing M23, which has grown from hundreds of members in 2021 to about 6,500 fighters, according to the UN.

Waltz said Rwandan forces had provided “logistics and training support to M23” and were fighting alongside the rebels in eastern Congo, with “roughly 5,000 to 7,000 troops as of early December”.

Congo’s foreign minister, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, accused Rwanda of trampling on the peace agreement, which she described as bringing “hope of a historic turning point”.

She urged the security council to impose sanctions against military and political leaders responsible for the attacks, ban mineral exports from Rwanda and prohibit it from contributing troops to UN peacekeeping missions.

Rwanda is one of the largest contributors of UN peacekeepers, with nearly 6,000 Rwandan troops.

Eastern Congo, rich in critical minerals, has been of interest to Trump as Washington looks for ways to cir***vent China to acquire rare earths, essential to manufacturing fighter jets, mobile phones and more.