France’s statement came ahead of the United States warning about the situation. At a meeting of the UN Security Council on Tuesday evening, the US had warned Rwanda and the DRC that they “must walk back from the brink of war”. “The international community must take immediate steps to stop the fighting in the eastern DRC and de-escalate tensions between the DRC and Rwanda,” said Robert Wood, Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the UN. This follows the warning of last Saturday, when the US condemned the escalation of violence attributed to the M23 rebels. The State Department also called for the withdrawal of the Rwandan army and asked Kigali to “withdraw its surface-to-air missile systems, which threaten the lives of civilians, UN force soldiers and humanitarian workers”. Rwanda has rejected the call and accusations. A Rwanda foreign ministry statement said its troops are defending Rwandan territory as Congo carries out a “dramatic military build-up” near the border.

SOURCE: AFRICA NEWS