Rwanda accuses Congo of planning large attack

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo — Members of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) stand guard against the M23 rebel group in Lubero, North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo October 27, 2024. REUTERS/Djaffar Al Katanty

GENEVA (Reuters) -Rwanda said on Friday it had proof of an intended major attack by the Democratic Republic of Congo and denied it was fomenting conflict inside its neighbour's border. 

Kigali and Kinshasa blame each other for renewed instability in east Congo, where Rwandan-backed M23 rebels have seized the regional capital Goma and are advancing on more territory, with thousands dead and hundreds of thousands uprooted. 

"We categorically oppose the DRC's attempts to portray Rwanda as being responsible for its instability in the eastern DRC," Rwanda's ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, James Ngango, told an emergency meeting of the Human Rights Council.

"What is clear, however, is the imminent threat the current situation poses to Rwanda. Following the fall of Goma, new evidence has come to light regarding an imminent, large-scale attack against Rwanda," he said, adding that Kinshasa and its allies had stockpiled weapons in and around Goma airport.

It was unclear if the diplomat considered the threat to be active or neutralised by the M23 advance and he declined to comment further when approached by Reuters.

"The weapons were not ... against the M23. Rather, they were pointed directly at Rwanda," he added, saying they included rockets, kamikaze drones and heavy artillery guns.

Asked to respond to the diplomat's remarks, Congo's Minister of Foreign Trade Julien Paluku told Reuters: "Rwanda is building, like it always does, an empire of lies."

"These are speeches intended to attract attention, when it's them who are committing serious human rights violations."

 (Reporting by Emma FargeEditing by Ludwig Burger and Andrew Cawthorne)