Rwanda Regrets Expulsion of Ambassador From DRC

The Democratic Republic of the Congo declared the Rwandan ambassador persona non grata, accusing Kigali of supporting rebels in the country's east. Rwanda, in response, has denied these accusations.

Rwanda on Sunday expressed regret over the decision of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to expel the Rwandan ambassador from the country.

"It is regrettable the Government of the DRC continues to scapegoat Rwanda to cover up and distract from their own governance and security failures," Kigali said in a statement, adding that Rwandan forces at its border with the DRC were on high alert.

On Saturday, the DRC gave Rwandan ambassador Vincent Karenga 48 hours to leave the country, accusing Kigali of supporting the M23 rebels fighting against government forces in the DRC's eastern provinces.

The same day, the M23, labeled by the Congolese government as a terrorist group, took the town of Kiwanja in eastern Congo, practically cutting North Kivu's capital Goma off from its upper half.

The March 23 Movement (M23) is a rebel military group, established in 2012 and based in eastern areas of the DRC, primarily in the province of North Kivu. The M23 aims to protect the interests of Congolese Tutsis, and share their ethnicity with Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

An official Communiqué of the DRC's Superior Council of Defense read that in recent days elements of the Rwandan army have arrived in large numbers to support the M23 rebels in preparation for a general offensive against the positions of the DRC’s Armed Forces.

Relations between the two countries worsened after the mass arrival in the eastern DRC of Rwandan Hutus accused of killing Tutsis during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

The DRC has repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting armed groups on its territory, however, Kigali has rejected the allegations.