UN Report: Uganda Supports M23 Rebels In Congo

JAKARTA - The Ugandan army provides support to the M23 rebel group operating in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a United Nations (UN) report.

Uganda denies involvement, and says it is working closely with Congo's government forces.

The United Nations has long accused Rwanda of supporting M23, which has repeatedly seized most of the mineral-rich eastern Congo region, a charge Rwanda denies.

Congo has been hit by conflict for decades. Uganda and Rwanda invaded 1996 and 1998 for defense purposes against local militia groups.

Uganda is still carrying out joint operations with Congo forces against the Ugandan rebel group.

M23 rebels led by Tutsi launched a new insurgency in the eastern region of Congo which has been quasi-residential since 2022.

Ugandan troops are part of a regional force deployed in November 2022 to monitor the ceasefire with the M23. Congoe authorities called for a troop withdrawal last year, arguing it was ineffective.

"Since the resurgence of the M23 crisis, Uganda has not prevented the presence of M23 troops and the Rwanda Defense Forces (RDF) in its territory or through it," the UN Security Council Expert Group said in its report, which was sent to the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee at the end of April.

The UN group also said it had obtained evidence confirming active support for M23 by military and military intelligence officials, with M23 leaders, including the sanctioned Sultani Makenga, traveling to Uganda for a meeting.

When contacted by Reuters, deputy spokesman for the Ugandan armed forces, Deo Akiiki, said the report mistakenly accused the eastern African country's army of association with Congo's (FARDC) forces of its best condition.

"It would be crazy if we mess up the same area as us sacrificing everything to stabilize," said Akiiki.

The UN report says some 3,000-4,000 Rwandan soldiers are fighting the Congolese army alongside the M23.

The control and de facto direction of the Rwandan army for the M23 operation also put Rwanda in charge of M23's actions, experts say.

In response, Rwanda says Congo is funding and fighting alongside the Hutu rebel group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which is attacking Tutsi in both countries.

Democratic Republic of the Congo has the power to defuse the situation if they want it, but until then, Rwanda will continue to defend itself, a spokesman for the Rwandan government, Yolande Makolo, told Reuters.