Kinshasha, Jan 28: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has announced the recall of its embassy staff in Rwanda amid advances by the March 23 Movement (M23) rebellion, which fueled diplomatic tensions between Kinshasa and Kigali.The DRC foreign ministry said in a statement released over the weekend that it had decided to withdraw its diplomats from Rwanda in a letter to the Rwandan Embassy in the DRC, while asking the Rwandan embassy to cease all diplomatic and consular activities within 48 hours.
The DRC has accused Rwanda of backing the M23 rebels, as Kigali, while denying all allegations, has also accused the Congolese army of supporting the remnants of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, responsible for the 1994 genocide.
The last Rwandan diplomat stationed in Kinshasa, under permanent threat from DRC officials, had already left the Congolese capital,” responded Olivier JP Nduhungirehe, Rwanda’s Foreign Minister.
Tensions have been running high due to the recent advances by the M23 rebellion in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. The rebels took control of Sake, a town considered the last defense for the government forces before Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province and a major regional hub.
The United Nations has also announced that it has temporarily decided to relocate non-essential staff from Goma, where panic has spread among the displaced population.
Goma was under the control of the M23 for 10 days in 2012. Several foreign embassies have issued advisories urging their citizens to leave North Kivu while airports and borders remain operational.
An emergency meeting is set to be held on Sunday by the UN Security Council at the request of the DRC government. DRC army spokesman Sylvain Ekenge said late Saturday at a press conference that his country’s armed forces were working to “push back the enemy.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed deep concern over renewed hostilities by the M23.
Last week, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric condemned the rebel group’s renewed offensive since the beginning of the year and its expansion into North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, including the recent capture of Sake, Xinhua news agency reported.
As the offensive has caused devastating civilian casualties and increased the risk of a broader regional conflict, Guterres called on the M23 to immediately cease its attacks, withdraw from all occupied areas, and honor the ceasefire agreement established last August.