The country can no longer welcome refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who stated this on Monday (DRC).
Fighting between government forces and rebels from the M23 movement, a former Tutsi uprising, has heightened tensions with neighbouring Rwanda, which the DRC accuses of backing the militia, in eastern DRC, an area rich in natural resources.
However, Rwanda disputes any connection.
The UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that Rwanda had over 72,000 Congolese refugees in November 2022.
The Rwandan Defence Forces (RDF) engaged in “direct involvement” on the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) at least between November 2021 and October 2022, according to a report issued by UN-appointed experts in December.
An East African regional force, led by Kenya, is now stationed in eastern DRC, where diplomatic measures have been initiated to try to resolve the conflict.
