The United States has accused Rwanda of fuelling instability and prolonging conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), warning that continued violence could derail efforts by President Donald Trump to broker peace in the region.
Addressing the UN Security Council on Friday, December 12, US ambassador Mike Waltz said Rwanda’s alleged backing of the M23 rebel group was pushing the region toward deeper conflict. “Rwanda is leading the region towards increased instability and war,” Waltz told the council. “We will use the tools at our disposal to hold to account spoilers to peace.”
The renewed fighting has heightened fears of a wider regional crisis, with clashes edging closer to Burundi’s border. Burundi has maintained troops in eastern DRC for years, and the escalation has raised concerns of spillover violence. Since January, the conflict has reportedly killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians.
Burundi issued a stern warning during the Security Council session, cautioning that its patience was wearing thin. “Let me be clear: restraint has its limits. Should these irresponsible attacks continue, it would become extremely difficult to avoid a direct escalation between our two countries,” Burundi’s UN ambassador, Zephyrin Maniratanga, said.
Rwanda rejected the accusations, with its UN ambassador Martin Ngoga denying any intent to wage war against Burundi or destabilise the region. He accused Burundi of attacking Rwandan territory and insisted Kigali remained committed to peace efforts.
“Rwanda is not waging war against the Republic of Burundi and has no intention of doing that,” Ngoga said, while also accusing the DRC of violating the ceasefire and reaffirming Rwanda’s commitment to the Washington peace deal.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, however, called on the international community to take firm action against Rwanda. Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner urged the Security Council to end what she described as years of impunity.
“We have reached a moment of truth, either the international order accepts being openly defied, namely by Rwanda, or this council assumes its responsibility. Impunity has gone on for far too long,” she said.
The latest advance by M23 comes just a week after Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame met President Trump in Washington, where both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a US-brokered peace agreement. M23 claims it is fighting to protect ethnic Tutsi communities in eastern DRC, a justification Kigali has previously echoed while denying direct support for the group.
Waltz told the 15-member Security Council that Rwanda has exercised strategic control over M23 and its political wing, the Congo River Alliance (AFC), since the group re-emerged in 2021.
“We call on Rwanda to uphold its commitments and to further recognise the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s right to defend its territory and its sovereign right to invite Burundian forces onto its territory,” he said.
He added that Washington was engaging all parties to prevent further escalation. “The US is profoundly concerned and incredibly disappointed with the renewed outbreak of violence in the eastern DRC,” Waltz said.
According to the US envoy, Rwanda has been deeply involved in directing the conflict. “Kigali has been intimately involved in planning and executing the war in eastern DRC, providing military and political direction to M23 forces and AFC for years now,” he said. “The Rwandan defence forces have provided materiel, logistics and training support to M23, as well as fighting alongside M23 in DRC with roughly 5,000 to 7,000 troops as of early December.”
Rwanda has continued to deny backing the rebels, instead blaming Congolese and Burundian forces for the resurgence of fighting.
While the Washington-mediated talks involve regional governments, M23 is not a party to those negotiations. The rebel group is instead engaged in a separate, parallel dialogue with the Congolese government under the mediation of Qatar.
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