M23 Rebellion: DRC’s Tshisekedi Considers Building Wall on 200km-Border with Rwanda

DR Congo president, Felix Tshisekedi, has expressed determination to build a wall fence along his country’s long border with Rwanda. 

The remarks come against the backdrop of intense fighting between M23 rebels and government forces in the mineral-rich eastern part of the country.

“I want to say that I am very sorry as President of the DRC because when confronted with this type of situation (Rwanda supporting M23 rebels), I am not encouraged to build bridges but walls to protect our people,” said Tshisekedi this past weekend.

Tshisekedi, who has previously accused Rwanda of arming M23 rebels to destabilise and exploit eastern DRC, further said, “We cannot describe each other as brothers while stabbing ourselves in the back.”

The boundary between the DRC and Rwanda follows a generally north-south direction, mostly along rivers and Lake Kivu, for 222 km from the northern tripoint with Uganda to the southern tripoint with Burundi.

Tshisekedi was speaking during the Summit of the world’s three great forest basins in Brazzaville.

The event was graced by the host president, Denis Sassou Nguesso of Congo Republic and Brazil’s Lula Da Silva.

Rwanda has since denied accusations of helping M23 rebels and accused Tshisekedi of reneging on his commitment to resolve the militants’ concerns and supporting FDLR, a militia group whose ideology and past leadership is blamed for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. 

Virunga Park

Tshisekedi condemned the desecration of Virunga Park where government forces are battling M23 rebels. 

“In the Virunga Park, one of the most important natural reserves in the world, there is armed activism that is undermining this ecosystem,” said Tshisekedi.

“This was not decided in Washington or Paris , but in Africa and more precisely in Kigali ,” he added.

Congolese forces this past weekend used warplanes to strike M23’s bases in Virunga Park – one of the most biologically diverse areas on the planet and home to the world’s critically endangered mountain gorillas.

The UN Special Envoy for Africa’s Great Lakes region recently appealed to the international community for increased support in resolving the escalating hostilities in eastern DRC and the mounting tension in the wider Great Lakes region. 

Speaking before the Security Council, Huang Xia expressed deep concern over the worsening security situation and potential for a direct conflict between the DRC and Rwanda, who have accused each other of supporting armed groups within each other’s territory.

Mr. Xia highlighted the resurgence of large-scale hostilities in the restive eastern DRC alongside the worsening relationship between the DRC and Rwanda.

“The military build-up of the two countries, the absence of direct high-level dialogue, and the persistence of hate speech are all worrying signs that we cannot ignore,” Mr. Xia emphasised.

The humanitarian situation in eastern DRC is equally dire, with a growing number of displaced people sounding alarm bells.

Xia stressed the importance of revitalising the 2013 Addis Ababa Framework Agreement, which lays the groundwork for peace and security in the region.

He also called on all armed groups to lay down their weapons and urged Congolese armed groups to participate in a disarmament and demobilisation programme adopted by the DRC in 2022.