NAIROBI, Kenya – The German development ministry announced on Tuesday its decision to halt new financial commitments to Rwanda. This action is in response to accusations that Rwanda is providing support to the M23 rebels operating in eastern Congo. In collaboration with its partners, Germany has decided to further limit its cooperation with Rwanda on a bilateral level.
Moving forward, Germany will reassess its existing development partnerships with Kigali and suspend its participation in prominent development events organized by the Rwandan government. Additionally, Germany intends to determine an “appropriate reaction” concerning multilateral projects involving Rwanda. Before this decision was made public, German officials had already notified Rwanda, reiterating the European Union’s stance and expectations from Rwanda, including the withdrawal of its troops and ceasing support for M23 rebels.
With this move, Germany joins a growing list of countries aiming to apply diplomatic pressure on Rwandan President Paul Kagame. Kagame has previously defended his country’s military activities aimed at stabilizing the border with eastern Congo, where governance is marred by lawlessness. In the past, Rwanda has dismissed similar measures put forth by the UK, arguing that they neither aid the Congolese situation nor foster a sustainable resolution to the ongoing conflict in the region.
Estimates suggest that about 4,000 Rwandan troops are actively involved alongside the M23 rebels in eastern Congo. According to U.N. experts, these rebels have gained control over the capitals of North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. M23 is a formidable faction among the multiple armed groups competing for influence in Congo’s mineral-rich east, an area with vast and yet largely untapped resources crucial for global technology industries.
