The United States called Monday on Rwanda to punish forces behind an attack in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, not backing down from charges Kigali is meddling in its neighbour’s affairs.
The State Department on Friday accused Rwandan forces of joining M23 rebels in blasts on a camp for internally displaced people in the outskirts of the eastern city of Goma that killed at least nine people.
Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo had retorted that the US accusation was “ridiculous,” writing on X that Rwanda had a “professional army” that would “never attack” a camp for displaced people.
Asked Monday if the United States stood by its claim, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, “We absolutely do.”
“The government of Rwanda must investigate this heinous act and hold all those responsible accountable. And we have made that clear to them,” he said.
The United States has long said there was evidence to support charges by Kinshasa that Rwanda is backing the M23 rebels, who are mostly ethnic Tutsis and resumed their armed campaign in the historically turbulent country in 2021.
But the latest US statement marked an unusually direct accusation of Rwandan involvement.
Kigali insisted on Sunday that the claims it had a role in the camp attack were “unjustified” and accused the United States of “scapegoating” Rwanda.
“Rwanda will not shoulder responsibility for the bombing of the IDP camps around Goma, or the security and governance failures of the government of the DRC,” it said in a statement, calling for a “credible investigation” to establish what happened.
Rwanda has denied backing the M23, although President Paul Kagame has voiced support for the cause of Tutsis living in DR Congo.
He has also called for the government in Kinshasa to act against a Hutu militia over ties with the perpetrators of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, which mostly targeted Tutsis.
The United States has sought to mediate between the two countries, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken meeting Kagame in January and voicing hope that Rwanda would engage in diplomacy.