The president of Congo has warned that war could break out with Rwanda unless its neighbour stops backing rebel groups fighting in the east of sub-Saharan Africa’s largest nation.
“This possibility cannot be ruled out. If Rwanda’s provocation continues, we will not sit and do nothing about it. We are not weak,” Félix Tshisekedi, the president of the mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo, told the Financial Times in his office in Kinshasa.
Tshisekedi’s comments follow a strong offensive in eastern Congo by the M23 armed group, which he said was backed by Rwanda. In recent weeks, the militants have stepped up attacks in a conflict that has displaced 170,000 people since the M23 resurfaced late last year, almost a decade after a peace deal was agreed. The US has voiced alarm about the cross-border attacks.