US slams Rwanda for supporting M23 rebels, Kigali rejects to pull out troops, missiles from east DRC

The United States has expressed concern about the escalating violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) caused the “Rwanda-backed” armed group M23 and called on Rwanda to “immediately withdraw” all its military personnel and equipment from the DRC territory — but the call was subsequently rejected by Kigali.
Washington has also called on the M23 armed group to cease hostilities immediately as fighting has flared in recent days between the rebels and Congolese government forces near the strategic city of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province. It comes as the DRC government has accused neighboring Rwanda of carrying out a drone attack that damaged a civilian aircraft at the Goma airport. The drone attack “had obviously come from the Rwandan territory, violating the territorial integrity of the (DRC),” said an army spokesperson for North Kivu province. According to a confidential UN document, the Rwandan army is allegedly using sophisticated weapons, such as surface-to-air missiles, to support M23.
The DRC, the United Nations and Western countries have said Rwanda is supporting the rebels in a bid to control vast mineral resources, an allegation Kigali has denied. But in what appears to be a shift in the US policy, the US State Department in a statement on Saturday (17 February) urged Rwanda “to immediately withdraw all Rwanda Defense Force personnel from the (DRC) and remove its surface-to-air missile systems.” But Rwanda on Monday (19 February) rejected US calls for the withdrawal of troops and missile systems from eastern DRC, saying the “dramatic (Congolese) military build-up” near the border poses a threat to Rwandan national security.