The UK government will cease attending events hosted by Rwanda, as well as pausing aid to all but the ‘poorest and most vulnerable’
The UK government has announced it will cease attending events hosted by the Rwandan government and suspend aid to the east African nation over advances by Kigali-backed rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Britain has also threatened sanctions against Rwanda, which is supporting the M23 rebel group in the DRC. The group has occupied the cities of Goma and Bukavu in recent weeks as it fights for control of the DRC’s mineral-rich eastern region with UN experts claiming that the rebels are also supported by about 4,000 Rwandan troops.
On Tuesday, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said it would limit engagement with the government in Kigali over its links to the rebel offensive. “The UK calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, humanitarian access, respect for international humanitarian law, meaningful engagement with African-led peace processes, and the withdrawal of all Rwanda Defence Forces from Congolese territory,” the government department said.
The British government will “cease high-level attendance at events hosted by the government of Rwanda” and will also pause financial aid to all but the “poorest and most vulnerable” in Rwanda, as well as limit trade promotion activities. Export licences for the Rwanda Defence Force are under review, and training for its soldiers have been suspended, the FCDO said.
The UK also warned it may “coordinate with partners on potential new sanctions designations”. The statement added: “Rwanda may have security concerns but it is unacceptable to resolve these militarily. There can only be a political solution to this conflict. We encourage DRC to engage with M23 as part of an inclusive dialogue.
Last week, the government summoned Rwanda’s top diplomat in the UK, high commissioner Johnston Busingye, to raise concerns about the conflict. The eastern DRC has been the site of repeated outbreaks of hostilities since the 1994 genocide of the Tutsis in neighbouring Rwanda, when many Hutus fled into the area around Goma and Bukavu.
Rwanda has accused the Congolese government of enlisting some of those Hutus responsible for genocide into its armed forces, which the government denies. M23 claims it is fighting to protect Tutsis in the eastern DRC from discrimination, with some analysts suggesting the group is intent on seizing power in Kinshasa, the Congolese capital.
Meanwhile, Rwanda has said international sanctions will reduce the likelihood of peace with M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), after the United Kingdom said it would pause some bilateral aid and impose other diplomatic sanctions on Kigali.
“The punitive measures announced today by the UK government in response to the conflict in eastern DRC – where the UK has now clearly chosen a side – are regrettable,” Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday. “The measures do nothing to help the Democratic Republic of Congo, nor do they contribute to achieving a sustainable political solution to the conflict in eastern DRC.” The UK said the measures on Kigali would remain in force until there was significant progress in ending hostilities and a withdrawal of all Rwandan soldiers from Congolese territory, estimated by the United Nations to number several thousand.
Rwanda denies providing arms and troops to M23 and says its forces are acting in self-defence against the Congolese army and groups hostile to Kigali. The US sanctions also targeted Lawrence Kanyuka Kingston, a senior member and spokesperson for the Congo River Alliance – which includes the M23 – and two companies he controls in the UK and France.
