Rwanda's Kagame defiant on criticism of east Congo offensive; rebels push south

By Yassin Kombi and Sonia Rolley

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Rwandan President Paul Kagame blasted criticism of his country's role in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where rebels his government backs have seized its largest city, saying Kigali is prepared for "confrontation" if necessary.

M23 rebels, with support from Rwandan troops, marched into Goma earlier this week and are now advancing south toward Bukavu, capital of neighbouring South Kivu province, in the biggest escalation since 2012 of a decades-old conflict.

Rwanda has drawn an international backlash over its actions in eastern Congo, where it has repeatedly intervened either directly or through allied militias over the past 30 years in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide.

The United States has told Rwanda it is "deeply troubled" by Goma's fall. Germany cancelled aid talks with Rwanda while Britain said the 32 million pounds ($39.80 million) of annual bilateral assistance it gives to Kigali were under threat. African countries have called for an immediate ceasefire.

Any successful push south by M23 would see them control territory previous rebellions have not taken since the end of Congo's major war two decades ago, and magnify the risk of a new all-out conflict drawing in forces from multiple countries.

Troops from neighbouring Burundi, which has had hostile relations with Rwanda, support Congolese troops in South Kivu.

A spokesperson for Burundi's military declined to comment on the current situation in Congo.

KAGAME THROWS DOWN GAUNTLET

In comments at an emergency summit late Wednesday of the East African Community (EAC), of which Rwanda and Congo are both members, Kagame ripped neighbouring countries for the failure of diplomatic efforts to resolve fighting between Congo and the M23 over the past three years.

"Is there anybody among us who did not see this coming?" Kagame said in his comments to other heads of state at the summit, videos of which his office posted to X. "I saw it coming because I did not see who was taking charge of the process."

Congo President Felix Tshisekedi did not attend the virtual summit, instead giving a speech to the nation in which he promised a military campaign to recover lost territory.

Kagame also responded to an X post by President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, 13 of whose soldiers belonging to a U.N. peacekeeping mission and separate southern African force in eastern Congo have been killed since last week.

Ramaphosa attributed the fighting to an escalation "by the rebel group M23 and Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) militia", and called for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

Kagame responded by accusing South Africa of working alongside a militia in Congo with ties to perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and "threatening to take the war to Rwanda itself".

"If South Africa wants to contribute to peaceful solutions, that is well and good, but South Africa is in no position to take on the role of a peacemaker or mediator," Kagame wrote.

"And if South Africa prefers confrontation, Rwanda will deal with the matter in that context any day."

REBELS THRUST SOUTHWARDS FROM GOMA

After seizing Goma, a lakeside city of nearly 2 million, M23 fighters were advancing south from the town of Minova, along the western side of Lake Kivu, five diplomatic and security sources said on Wednesday.

The M23 tried to take the town of Nyabibwe, about 50 km (30 miles) north of Bukavu, on Wednesday but were pushed back by Congolese forces, a local resident told Reuters by phone.

M23 is the latest ethnic Tutsi-led, Rwandan-backed insurgency to fight in Congo since the genocide of 1994 when extremist Hutus killed about a million Tutsis and moderate Hutus, and then were toppled by Tutsi-led forces led by Kagame. He has been Rwanda's president ever since.

Congo and the global head of U.N. peacekeeping missions have said Rwandan troops are present in Goma, backing the M23. Rwanda says it is defending itself against threats from Congolese militias, without directly commenting on whether its troops have crossed the border.

Rwanda says some of the ousted perpetrators have sheltered in Congo since the genocide, posing a threat to Congolese Tutsis and Rwanda itself. Congo rejects Rwanda's complaints, and says Rwanda has used its proxy militias to loot its minerals.

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(Reporting by Yassin Kombi in Goma, Sonia Rolley in Paris, David Lewis, Hereward Holland and Giulia Paravicini in Nairobi, Clement Manirabarusha in Bujumbura; editing by Mark Heinrich)