Rwandan President Paul Kagame says the M23 Rebel Group are fighting to gain their full rights as citizens of Democratic Republic of Congo that they have been denied by the Congolese government.
Speaking to the press on Monday, Kagame addressed the matters concerning the prevailing security crisis in the neighbouring DR Congo’s North Kivu Province, fueling tensions between the two countries with Kinshasa accusing Kigali of supporting the M23 which predominantly consists of Tutsi militia.
Kagame reaffirmed that the M23 had taken up again, after being defeated in 2013, because they have been deprived of their right to Congolese citizenship.
“To those who accuse us, I would ask them why they do not support the M23 themselves? Why is the question do you support the M23 or do you not support the M23? First, the M23 is an organization born in Congo. Secondly, they are Congolese and you even hear Congo admit it.
Now why do they exist? Why are they fighting? Why do they have weapons? that’s another question, it’s also a simple question: they exist because they have been denied their rights as citizens of this country. They call them Rwandan Tutsi, very good! But you also need to be a little educated about history.
We have Rwandan communities in Congo that are Congolese and therefore they are not just Tutsis, it is the same social structure of our country that is also in Congo,” Kagame said
Tensions continues to rise in eastern DRC where the M23 continue to cause havoc with the Congolese army (FARDC) unable to rampant rebels so far.
