US Accuses Rwanda of Supporting M23 as Fighting Intensifies in Eastern DR Congo

The United States has accused Rwanda of fuelling renewed conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, warning that recent advances by the M23 rebel group threaten to derail fragile peace efforts and destabilise the wider Great Lakes region.

Speaking at the United Nations Security Council on Friday, US Ambassador Mike Waltz said Rwanda’s actions were driving the region toward deeper instability, adding that Washington would act against any parties undermining peace. He said the United States would use “the tools at our disposal to hold to account spoilers to peace.”

M23’s latest territorial gains have heightened concerns of a regional escalation, with fighting moving closer to Burundi’s border. Since January, violence in eastern Congo has killed thousands and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes, deepening an already severe humanitarian crisis.

Burundi warned that continued attacks could provoke direct confrontation with Rwanda. Its UN Ambassador, Zephyrin Maniratanga, told the Security Council that Burundi’s restraint was wearing thin amid rising cross-border tensions.

Rwanda rejected the accusations, with its UN Ambassador Martin Ngoga denying any aggression against Burundi and insisting that Kigali remained committed to the US-brokered peace process. He accused the Congolese government of violating the ceasefire and dismissed claims of Rwandan support for the rebels.

Congo’s Foreign Minister, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, urged the Security Council to take decisive action, warning that failure to respond would encourage impunity. She said the crisis had reached a critical point, requiring the international community to choose between enforcing global norms or allowing them to be openly violated.

The renewed fighting comes days after Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame met with US President Donald Trump in Washington, where both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a US-mediated peace agreement aimed at ending years of conflict in eastern Congo.

Waltz said the United States was engaging all sides to prevent further escalation, calling on Rwanda to respect Congo’s sovereignty and its right to seek military support from Burundi. He also urged restraint in public rhetoric, particularly language that could inflame ethnic tensions.

The United States said it was “profoundly concerned and incredibly disappointed” by the renewed violence, accusing Rwanda of maintaining strategic control over M23 and its political wing, the Congo River Alliance, since the group’s re-emergence in 2021. Waltz alleged that Rwandan forces had provided logistical, military and training support to M23, including the direct involvement of thousands of troops.

Rwanda has consistently denied backing the rebels, blaming Congolese and Burundian forces for the violence. While M23 is not part of the Washington-led peace talks, it is engaged in separate negotiations with the Congolese government in talks hosted by Qatar, highlighting the fragmented efforts to resolve the conflict.