DRC foreign minister accuses Rwanda of aggression

The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Teresa Kayiwamba, announced at a meeting of the UN Security Council that additional Rwandan units had entered the territory of the DRC.

This is reported by News.Az with reference to foreign media.

"As I speak before you, an unprecedented offensive is underway in front of the eyes of the world. Additional Rwandan troops have entered our territory and this is a violation of our sovereignty. This is aggression, this is a declaration of war," Kayiwamba said.

The minister stressed that Rwanda’s actions are an open challenge to international law and pose a threat to regional stability. She called on Security Council members to demand an end to hostilities, the withdrawal of Rwandan troops, an embargo on all minerals labeled as Rwandan, and the introduction of a notification system for arms sales to Rwanda. “The Security Council should impose targeted sanctions, including asset freezes and travel bans, not only on certain senior members of the Rwandan armed forces, but also on the political leaders responsible for this aggression,” she added.

In the last three weeks, the rebels have launched a new offensive on the city of Goma in eastern DRC. Their advance units are 20 km from the city. There is no electricity, running water or mobile phone service in Goma, and the routes for delivering food and basic necessities are blocked. The city has a population of 2 million people.

News.Az