UN experts cast blame on Rwanda and Uganda. What are they doing in DRC?

Kampala, Uganda – Rwanda is successful “command and control” of M23 rebels successful the eastbound Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda has “unilaterally doubled its subject presence” successful the DRC, and equipped groups – including those aligned to the Congolese authorities – are committing rights violations against civilians, according to a radical of United Nations experts.

An as-yet unpublished study from UN experts connected DRC that was leaked to the media and seen by Al Jazeera describes violations by each parties to the struggle and blames neighbouring governments for allegedly exploiting and escalating the existent crisis.

The study was submitted to the UN Security Council successful May, the Reuters quality bureau reported. It is expected to beryllium released soon, a UN adept who contributed to the study told Al Jazeera connected information of anonymity, without specifying a date.

While analysts spot these reports arsenic an indispensable instrumentality of accountability, Kigali and Kampala person called the experts biased.

Neither authorities replied to Al Jazeera’s petition for remark astir the contents of the report, but some person repeatedly denied the accusations levelled against them.

Meanwhile, the caller findings hazard putting a damper connected the cautious optimism garnered by the signing of a bid deal betwixt Rwanda and the DRC successful the US past month, and ongoing Qatar-mediated bid talks betwixt Kinshasa and M23.

Rwanda’s ‘instruction’, power of resources

For years, M23, which the UN says is backed by Rwanda – a complaint Kigali denies – has been embroiled successful struggle with the Congolese service and its allied militias known arsenic Wazalendo. Early this year, M23 made accelerated advances, seizing power of Goma and Bukavu, the capitals of North Kivu and South Kivu, respectively, which it inactive holds today.

The latest UN experts study – the archetypal since M23’s beforehand – offers a stark appraisal of the conflict, placing blasted connected Rwanda for facilitating the accelerated enlargement of the rebel forces.

Rwanda is providing “critical support” to M23, which takes “instructions” from Rwanda’s authorities and quality services, said the report.

M23 rebels beryllium connected a motortruck astatine the Goma-Gisenyi Grande Barrier borderline crossing betwixt DRC and Rwanda [Arlette Bashizi/Reuters]

In erstwhile reports, the UN experts recovered determination were immoderate 3,000-4,000 Rwandan troops warring alongside M23 successful the DRC.

“One week anterior to the [M23] Goma attack, Rwandan officials confidentially informed the Group [of experts] that President Paul Kagame had decided to imminently instrumentality power of Goma and Bukavu,” the caller study alleged.

Rwanda has repeatedly denied backing M23, while Kigali has sharply criticised the UN experts.

“These reports were written agelong ago,” President Paul Kagame said astatine a quality league successful Kigali connected July 4, aft the contents of the study started circulating successful planetary media.

“They travel present conscionable to corroborate a communicative they already had,” the Rwandan person said astir the UN sheet of experts.

Kagame likened the experts to an arsonist who torches a location but besides acts arsenic some justice and prosecutor. “The precise ones who burned the [house] are the ones successful the spot to justice and prosecute.”

The study by UN experts, however, lone reasserted its disapproval of Kigali.

The Rwandan army’s “de facto absorption and effectual control” implicit M23’s operations “render Rwanda liable for the actions” of the group, the study said, arguing that Rwanda’s behaviour meets the threshold for planetary sanctions.

Last month’s US-brokered woody betwixt the DRC and Rwanda does not see M23, but it stipulates that each parties should comply with the Qatar bid process. It besides highlights that the Congolese authorities should facilitate the disengagement of the equipped group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which was established by Hutus linked to the killings of Tutsis successful the 1994 Rwanda genocide. Rwanda should past assistance its “defensive measures” wrong the DRC, the statement said.

While Kigali has often argued that its actions successful the DRC are aimed astatine addressing longstanding information threats posed by the FDLR, the UN experts asseverate that its actions went acold beyond morganatic information concerns.

The experts noted that “the last nonsubjective of Kigali was to power the territory of the DRC and its earthy resources.”

Their study details however minerals, including coltan, were looted from mines successful towns seized by M23, past smuggled into Rwanda. “Once successful Rwanda, the looted minerals were mixed with section production, efficaciously laundering them into the downstream proviso concatenation nether the guise of Rwandan origin,” the study said.

Part of the minerals smuggled to Rwanda were purchased by Boss Mining Solutions Inc, represented by Eddy Habimana, who has antecedently been implicated successful the amerciable trafficking of minerals from the DRC, the study added.

Beyond Rwanda, the study besides outlines violations of planetary instrumentality by different neighbour, Uganda.

Amid the Rwanda/M23–DRC fighting, determination was a “rapid subject build-up” by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) successful North Kivu and Ituri provinces, the study said.

Troops importantly accrued this twelvemonth “effectively doubling Uganda’s footprint successful the country”, it added.

The Ugandan army, which has conducted associated operations with the Congolese subject against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a rebel question with origins successful Uganda, since 2023, “unilaterally” accrued its unit beingness successful eastbound DRC, the study added.

“The DRC authorities confirmed that the caller UPDF deployment was executed without its anterior approval, and that UPDF was undertaking unilateral initiatives extracurricular the model of associated operations with the [Congolese army],” the study read.

The deployment, according to the sheet of experts, raised questions astir Kampala’s motives, peculiarly fixed past allegations of UPDF enactment to M23. While Uganda claimed the unit movements were antiaircraft and aimed astatine securing its economical interests, the study says their positioning created a de facto buffer portion that shielded M23 from bluish counterattacks.

In response, Uganda’s ambassador to the UN, Adonia Ayebare, wrote connected X that the study “contains falsehoods” and attempts to undermine the associated subject cognition with the DRC. He said Uganda volition marque an authoritative connection aft work of the report.

​​General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda’s service commandant besides posted connected X, saying: “While the UN truthful called ‘Group of Experts’ writes biased reports against us, we (UPDF) proceed to prevention the lives of quality beings successful our region.”

The study by the UN experts had called retired “repeated incendiary nationalist statements” by Kainerugaba successful which they said helium emphasised adjacent practice betwixt the UPDF and the Rwandan army.

The study besides accused Thomas Lubanga, a erstwhile ICC convict surviving successful Kampala, of forming a politico-military question to reason the Congolese government, “with astatine slightest motivation and passive endorsement from the Ugandan authorities”.

However, addressing journalists successful Kampala connected July 16, Lubanga said helium is successful forced exile due to the fact that of persecution by Kinshasa, and if his question had been receiving enactment from Uganda, it “would find itself connected Kinshasa’s doorstep today”.

Civilians propulsion a bicycle loaded with goods arsenic soldiers locomotion by, adjacent the borderline betwixt Uganda and the DRC [File: Arlette Bashizi/Reuters]

Ugandan, Rwandan interests successful DRC

Kristof Titeca, a prof astatine the University of Antwerp who precocious published a study connected Uganda’s operations successful DRC, urges readers to presumption the UN study and the backlash it has provoked successful the discourse of determination dynamics.

Kigali and Kampala stock overlapping interests successful the DRC – chiefly concerning security, governmental influence, and economical entree – but these interests besides spot them successful a analyzable narration of some practice and competition, helium said.

Titeca argues that the resurgence and accelerated enlargement of M23 was, successful part, triggered by Kigali’s fearfulness that Kampala mightiness encroach connected its power successful eastbound DRC aft Uganda allowed its soldiers to participate DRC successful pursuit of the ADF.

As M23 gained crushed towards the extremity of 2024, Uganda reacted with unit deployments, peculiarly aimed astatine preventing the rebels – and by extension, Rwanda – from entering areas it sees arsenic its sphere of interest.

Titeca says the subject manoeuvres were arsenic overmuch a strategical connection to Rwanda arsenic they were astir protecting Ugandan interests.

Drawing from movements and postures observed since precocious 2024, Titeca suggests that Kigali and Kampala whitethorn person an implicit knowing of their respective zones of influence.

“Some radical deliberation determination mightiness beryllium immoderate statement betwixt Kampala and Kigali connected their country of interest,” helium said.

In eastbound DRC, “they are friends and besides enemies astatine the aforesaid time,” helium added, referring to Uganda and Rwanda.

Kinshasa’s violations

For the UN experts, Kinshasa bears immoderate responsibility, too. On the Congolese side, the study paints a representation of a authorities nether siege, struggling to support sovereignty implicit its eastbound territories.

The authorities continued to trust heavy connected irregular Wazalendo groups, and connected the FDLR, contempt the second being nether UN sanctions, arsenic proxies successful its combat against M23 and the Rwandan army.

While strategic, the study says, this confederation has worsened the information and quality rights situation, contributing to reprisal attacks, kid recruitment and intersexual violence.

As it called retired M23’s actions during the taking of Goma and Bukavu, the study besides documented a signifier of sedate planetary humanitarian instrumentality and rights violations – including looting, intersexual violence, and killings – by retreating Congolese soldiers and Wazalendo fighters astatine the aforesaid time.

“These abuses occurred successful a clime of impunity, successful the wide discourse of a weakening concatenation of command,” it said.

Al Jazeera sought a effect to these claims from the Congolese government, but received nary reply.

In dismissing the report, the Rwandan president accused the sheet of perpetuating a biased communicative against Kigali and of ignoring Congolese authorities complicity with the FDLR, which helium says continues to dispersed anti-Tutsi views that led to the 1994 genocide.

“All the reports, 75 percent of them, blasted AFC/M23 and Rwanda,” Kagame said astatine the July 4 quality conference. “You volition find they ne'er constitute thing broad astir FDLR oregon however Congolese institutions dispersed hatred and genocide ideology. How tin experts not spot that?”

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Rwandan expert Thierry Gatete echoed Kagame’s criticisms, questioning the credibility of the UN sheet and alleging that they seldom behaviour tract research.

“They beryllium successful New York oregon Paris and trust connected testimonies from Congolese officials oregon FDLR sympathisers,” helium said.

The study notes that Rwanda denied the radical of experts entree to Kigali. However, Gatete says Rwanda initially cooperated with the sheet but aboriginal gave up due to the fact that the reports were consistently biased and, successful his view, inconsequential. “Nobody takes what they constitute seriously,” helium said.

While Rwanda and Uganda presumption the UN reports arsenic biased, others spot them arsenic indispensable tools for accountability.

Stewart Muhindo, a researcher with Congolese civilian nine radical LUCHA, said the sheet provides captious grounds that challenges some authorities and non-state actors.

“The sheet tells hard truths,” helium noted, pointing retired that the study besides criticises the DRC authorities for its continued collaboration with the FDLR, contempt promises to extremity the alliance. “It’s not conscionable astir blaming Rwanda.”

Muhindo besides agrees with UN experts that the DRC’s reliance connected Wazalendo fighters has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis. These irregular forces, though not sanctioned similar the FDLR, person been implicated successful atrocities, including attacks connected civilians and the recruitment of kid soldiers, helium said.

“Despite ongoing peacemaking initiatives, efforts to stabilise the portion proceed to look important challenges,” the UN experts said successful the report. “Civilians bore the brunt of the conflict, enduring wide displacement, insecurity, and sedate violations of planetary humanitarian and quality rights law.”