Great Britain suspends help to Rwanda toward Dr. Congo conflict

The United Kingdom said on Tuesday that he suspended bilateral financial aid directly to Rwanda, except for the poorest and most vulnerable, in the last move to increase the pressure on Kigali on the East Congo war.

The decision, announced by the British government, was one of the five steps in London said that it will take Rwanda to stop supporting M23 Rebels in eastern RDC.

The UK has said that he would also suspend the future defense training and asked Rwanda to “withdraw all the Rwanda defense forces.

Other sanctions announced in a statement by the British Government on Tuesday include a revision of the Rwanda’s Army, a stop to the high level presence at the Rwo-Government-hosted events and a restriction on commercial promotion activities with Rwanda .

He said he would “coordinate with the partners regarding the potential new sanctions”.

“The United Kingdom is deeply concerned about the situation in the eastern RDC. The Secretary of Foreign Affairs met with President Tshisekedi in Kinshasa and President Kagame in Kigali on February 21 and 22.

“In his meetings, he was clear that there can be no military solution of the conflict. There must be an immediate cessation of hostilities. The recent M23 offensives and the Rwanda (RDF) defense force, including the capture of Goma and Bukavu, are an unacceptable violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the RDC and a violation of the UN status. “

“The humanitarian situation in the east of the RDC is critical. Nearly a million people have recently been relocated to the east of the RDC and hundreds of thousands desperately need to support life. There is a responsibility for all the parties to protect the people in the eastern RDC who have suffered so much in this conflict, ”the British government statement shows.

“The Secretary of Foreign Affairs asked both leaders to engage significantly and with good faith with African peace processes to find a lasting political solution.”

London wants all parties to honor all the commitments made at the EAC-SADC common summit on February 8, which asked the parties to cease fire, withdraw from the occupied territory and open a new chapter of dialogue.

“The Secretary of Foreign Affairs was clear that there will be a strong response from the international community in response to the increasing conflict.”

In recent weeks, the United Kingdom has closely coordinated with international partners, including those from G7 and the group of international contacts on the big lakes, to this answer.

And he says he also had each appropriate opportunity, including at the United Nations Security Council and the UN Human Rights Council, to request the conflict in the eastern RDC.

“During the visit of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, he announced an additional package of 14.6 million pounds of humanitarian support to help those in the eastern RDC who suffer the most.

“The United Kingdom requires the immediate termination of hostilities, humanitarian access, respect for international humanitarian law, significant involvement with African peace processes and withdrawing all the defense forces from Rwanda from the Congolese territory.”

The movement in the UK adds pressure from the European Union and individual governments in Belgium and the United States. Last week, the US sanctioned Minister Rwanda for regional integration, James Baturebe and M23 spokesman, Lawrence Kanyuka, for the M23 offensives in Congo. M23 took over Goma and Bukavu, two of the largest cities in eastern Congo and threatened to continue their march.

On Saturday, Kanyuka told journalists that the rebel M23 group was now ready to sit with the Kinshasa government. The Congolese government refused to talk to the group, accusing him of being under the leadership of Kigali.

Kigali claimed that the dialogue between M23 and Kinshasa will also help Rwanda approach its security issues. Kigali generally mocked Western pressure as “selective”.

“Rwanda can have security problems, but it is unacceptable to be solved from the military. There can be only one political solution to this conflict. We encourage RDC to engage with M23 as part of an inclusive dialog.

“We will continue to keep our policy under examination,” said the British government.

On Monday, the EU warned that it would suspend the defense cooperation agreements with Rwanda and said that it is considering a proposal of the EU Parliament to suspend a mineral value chain agreement with Rwanda.

The government of Rwanda has not yet responded to the decision of the United Kingdom. But, in a statement, last week, following the UK recall of the London Rwanda, Kigali said: “The UK should align and support the EAC/SADC peace process supported by Au and to Avoid encouraging the RDC position to look for a military solution. –

“The Rwanda defense forces have always maintained defensive measures in response to authentic security threats along our border.

“These threats have recently materialized with the attacks on January 26 against the border city of Rabavu after the fall of Goma, resulting in 16 deaths and 177 civil victims in Rwanda.

“Rwanda continues to face an existential security threat from the FDLR genocide militia supported by the RDC, which was involved in the bark in Rwanda in June 2022, just two weeks before Chogm in Kigali.”

The recently reinforced position in the UK signals a developing decrease between the two countries, some analysts saying that brings Rwanda much closer to losing almost $ 1 billion to the help of the UK.