Rwanda on Wednesday accused the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi of deliberately breaching a newly signed peace agreement, just a day after fighters from the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group entered a major border city in eastern DRC.
Military and security sources reported that M23 fighters advanced into the strategic city of Uvira located at Burundi’s doorstep late Tuesday.
The move came despite renewed pressure from the United States and European partners, who had urged the rebels to halt their offensive and demanded Rwanda withdraw its forces from eastern Congo.
As M23 appeared poised to capture Uvira, the last major town in South Kivu still outside its control, fleeing civilians were joined by Congolese soldiers heading toward the Burundian border.
Burundi, which considers the fall of Uvira a direct security threat, has deployed troops to assist Congolese forces in battling the Rwanda-backed rebels.
In a statement posted on X, Rwanda’s foreign ministry rejected accusations of wrongdoing, claiming that DRC and Burundian forces had “systematically” shelled villages near the Rwandan border.
Kigali argued that such attacks forced the M23 and its political-military coalition, the Alliance of Forces for Congo (AFC), to respond.
“These deliberate violations of recently negotiated agreements constitute serious obstacles to peace,” the ministry said.
The dispute comes barely a week after Rwanda and the DRC both signed a U.S.-brokered peace deal on December 4.
On Monday, Kinshasa and Bujumbura accused Kigali of violating the accord, which was intended to de-escalate the decades-long conflict in eastern Congo.
The latest M23 offensive follows the rebel group’s capture of Goma and Bukavu nearly a year ago two key provincial capitals in a region long destabilized by armed groups, ethnic tensions and competition for mineral resources.
Burundi has significantly bolstered its military footprint in eastern Congo since deploying 10,000 soldiers under a 2023 cooperation agreement.
Security sources say that number has since grown to an estimated 18,000 troops.