Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on January 30, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 26, 2026
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The UK warns Rwanda that its involvement in the DRC conflict could jeopardize over $1 billion in aid. Rwanda denies backing M23 rebels in Goma.
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain has warned Rwanda that its involvement in an escalating conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo could jeopardise the over $1 billion of aid it receives every year.
Rwanda-backed M23 rebels captured Goma, a city of 2 million people in the DRC, on Monday, ignoring widespread calls for them to halt their offensive and enact a ceasefire. They extended their advance on Wednesday.
Rwandan forces backed up M23 in Goma, according to Congo, the United States and other Western powers. Rwanda has denied its involvement.
British foreign minister David Lammy told parliament on Tuesday Rwanda received over 1 billion dollars in global aid every year, including around 32 million pounds ($39.80 million) of bilateral UK assistance but "all of that is under threat when you attack your neighbours".
"We in this House are clear that we cannot have countries challenging the territorial integrity of other countries," Lammy said. "Just as we will not tolerate it in the continent of Europe, we cannot tolerate it wherever in the world it happens."
"We have to be clear about that," Lammy added.
This week's events represent the gravest escalation of the decades-old conflict in eastern Congo since 2012. The hostilities are rooted in the spillover of Rwanda's 1994 genocide into Congo and the struggle for control of Congo's lucrative minerals.
($1 = 0.8040 pounds)
(Reporting by Catarina Demony; Editing by Saad Sayeed)
The UK has warned Rwanda that its involvement in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo could jeopardize the over $1 billion of aid it receives annually.
Rwandan forces are reported to be backing M23 rebels in Goma, although Rwanda has denied its involvement.
Rwanda receives around 32 million pounds, equivalent to approximately $39.80 million, in bilateral aid from the UK as part of the over $1 billion in global aid it receives each year.
David Lammy emphasized that the UK will not tolerate countries challenging the territorial integrity of others, drawing parallels to similar situations in Europe.
The current hostilities represent the gravest escalation since 2012 and are rooted in the spillover effects of Rwanda's 1994 genocide into Congo.
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