Kagame Pans UN Report That Puts Rwanda at Center of Congo Crisis
- President Kagame denies aiding M23 rebels in eastern Congo
- UN experts say 3,000 to 4,000 Rwanda troops are based in Congo
Paul Kagame
Photographer: Kevin Dietsch/Getty ImagesRwandan President Paul Kagame said his nation has nothing to do with M23 rebels operating in mineral-rich territories in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and dismissed a United Nations group of experts’ findings that his forces were helping the militia seize territory and mines.
“These people fighting did not come from Rwanda,” with the bulk of them — including the M23’s leaders — emanating from Uganda, he told reporters in Kigali, the capital. “It just doesn’t make sense” to blame Rwanda for the conflict and won’t help resolve the problems the region is facing, he said on Thursday.