Rwanda can no longer accept Congolese refugees

Rwandan president Paul Kagame said on Monday that the country can no longer accept refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

In eastern DRC, a region rich in mineral resources, fighting between government forces and rebels from the M23 movement, a former Tutsi rebellion, has increased tensions with neighbouring Rwanda, which the DRC accuses of supporting the militia.

Rwanda however denies any involvement.

According to the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), in November 2022 Rwanda had some 72,000 Congolese refugees.

In a report published in December, UN-mandated experts said they had collected “substantial evidence” of “direct intervention by the Rwandan Defence Forces (RDF) on the territory of the DRC” at least between November 2021 and October 2022.

Diplomatic initiatives have been launched to try to resolve the crisis in eastern DRC, where an East African regional force, led by Kenya, is being deployed.

By Africanews