Rwanda on Tuesday described as “wrong and counterproductive” the politicization of improvement cooperation by Germany’s caretaker authorities.
In a press release, Rwanda’s Foreign Ministry stated, “Germany contradicts its own claims of supporting the African-led process to resolve the conflict in eastern DRC by letting the DRC off the hook for numerous violations, which only reinforces its belligerent posture and needlessly prolongs the conflict.”
“For a country which prides itself on taking seriously the warning signs of ethnic extremism, Germany shows an utter lack of courage by ignoring the threat posed by DRC-backed FDLR genocidal militias to Rwanda, as well as to Congolese Tutsi communities in eastern DRC,” it stated.
“Countries like Germany that bear a historical responsibility for the recurring instability in this region should know better than to apply one-sided, coercive measures. Rwanda will continue to protect its national security while remaining fully engaged in the ongoing regional peace process,” the Rwandan diplomacy added.
The German authorities outlined a number of punitive measures in opposition to Rwanda, saying that it was in opposition to Rwanda’s help for the M23, – a insurgent group that has captured swathes of japanese DRC. Rwanda denies offering arms and troops to M23 and says its forces are performing in self-defence in opposition to the Congolese military and teams hostile to Kigali.
Acting in session with its companions, Germany will additional limit the scope of its bilateral cooperation with Rwanda. In explicit, Germany will droop new monetary commitments, overview current cooperation with the Rwandan authorities within the area of improvement cooperation, droop high-level participation in improvement cooperation occasions organised by the Rwandan authorities and, along with its companions, will search an acceptable response within the case of multilateral programmes.
The M23 group has intensified its territorial management in japanese Congo since December, seizing the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu. (End)