Halt agreements with Rwanda - DR Congo officials

A meeting of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s top security officials has recommended that the government suspend all agreements and protocols that the country has with Rwanda amid allegations that Rwandan troops have entered the country and are supporting M23 rebels.

The Rwandan authorities have constantly denied any role in the ongoing crisis in eastern DR Congo.

The Rwandan government’s deputy spokesperson Alain Mukuralinda said they would “wait and see” if any decision was approved by the government.

On the ground in North Kivu province, where M23 rebels have occupied the border town of Bunagana since Monday, locals are fearful that clashes could restart any time.

North Kivu army spokesperson Lt Col Guillaume Kaiko told BBC Great Lakes that “all necessities are now in place” for the military to retake the town from the rebels.

The M23 rebels - who insist they want talks with the government – says the army has “not come for peace”.

“We are very scared. Terrible war can resume here. Those who fled are now scared of returning,” Francine Mundele, who lives in a village near Bunagana, told the BBC.

More than 130,000 people have fled their homes in the local area since fighting began in May, UN-backed Radio Okapi reports, quoting figures from the UN refugee agency.

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: Reuters