Uganda backed M23 in DRC, Rwanda’s ‘de facto control’ on group: UN experts
Al Jazeera
UN report says Ugandan army backed rebels while some 3,000-4,000 Rwandan soldiers fought alongside them in eastern DRC.
The Ugandan army has provided support to the M23 rebel group operating in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), says a United Nations report as clashes escalate in the mineral-rich region.
The UN Security Council’s group of experts on Monday also said some 3,000-4,000 Rwandan soldiers fought alongside M23 rebels in eastern DRC and that Kigali had “de facto control” of the group’s operations.
The DRC has been riven by conflict for decades. Uganda and Rwanda invaded in 1996 and 1998 for what they said was defence against local militia groups.
Uganda is still conducting joint operations with the DRC troops against a rebel Ugandan group. Meanwhile, M23 fighters began waging a fresh rebellion in the eastern DRC in late 2021.
Ugandan troops were part of a regional force deployed in November 2022 to monitor a ceasefire with the M23. Congolese authorities called for the force to withdraw last year, saying it was ineffective.
