KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Authorities in Rwanda on Monday rejected U.S. calls for the withdrawal of troops and missile systems from eastern Congo, saying they are defending Rwandan territory as Congo carries out a "dramatic military build-up” near the border.
The U.S. State Department in a statement Saturday criticized the worsening violence caused by M23, describing it as a “Rwanda-backed” armed group.
That statement also urged Rwanda “to immediately withdraw all Rwanda Defense Force personnel from the (Congo) and remove its surface-to-air missile systems."
M23 is one of more than 100 armed groups active in eastern Congo, seeking a share of the region’s gold and other resources as they carry out mass killings.
After being largely dormant for a decade, M23 resurfaced in late 2021 and has since captured wide parts of eastern Congo.
Persons:
FLDR, Rwanda “, U.N, Goma
Organizations:
—, Monday, Rwanda's Foreign Ministry, Rwandan, U.S . State Department, Rwanda Defense Force, Rwandan Foreign Ministry
Locations:
KAMPALA, Uganda, Rwanda, Congo, Congolese, United States, Africa's Great Lakes, Congo’s North Kivu’s, Goma