DRC expels Rwandan Ambassador in Kinshasa

The authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo announced on Saturday the expulsion of the Rwandan Ambassador in Kinshasa.

The expulsion follows months of tensions between the DRC and Rwanda accused of supporting the M23 rebels in the east of the country.

The spokesman for the Congolese government, Patrick Muyaya, made the announcement. 

"In view of the above facts, the Superior Defence Council requests the Government to: 1. expel, within 48 hours of notification, Mr Vincent Karega,
the Rwandan Ambassador Plenipotentiary posted in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is due, on the one hand, to Rwanda's persistent aggression against the DRC and its support for the M23 terrorist movement, which it is using for this purpose", said the spokesman. 

"And on the other hand, the arrogant disregard of the Rwandan authorities for the Nairobi and Luanda processes, as well as for the recommendations of the international community, more precisely the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU), the East African Community (EAC), the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and multilateral partners unanimously demanding the cessation of terrorist activities by the M23 and all external support for it, and its withdrawal without delay or conditions", concluded Muyaya.

The UN's mission in the country, MONUSCO, condemned what it described as "the hostile acts of M23" and called for an immediate halt to the fighting.

After last week's clashes, the M23 rebel fighters have made advances along the strategic RN2 highway in the eastern province of North Kivu, according to local officials and witnesses.

The rebel group, a mostly Congolese Tutsi group, resumed fighting in late 2021 after lying dormant for years, accusing the government of having failed to honour an agreement over the demobilisation of its fighters.