Pope calls for prayer for the DRC as Kinshasa pushes to isolate Rwanda
KINSHASA - Pope Francis on Sunday called for prayers for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including it alongside Gaza and Ukraine with the plea: “May the hostilities that cause immense suffering to the civilian population cease as soon as possible.”
While the eastern part of the DRC is technically not in a state of declared war, as is Ukraine and Gaza, Kinshasa has sought to officially link Rwanda to the rebels operating there, calling on the international community to isolate Kigali as it did Moscow.
Meanwhile, the situation in the DRC is rapidly evolving. Following fierce battles on 4 March and 5 March, M23 rebels took control of Nyanzale, a town in Rutshuru that is home to more than 80 000 people.
Nyanzale is about 70 kilometres from the provincial capital of Goma.
Call for isolation
On Saturday, Zénon Mukongo, DRC’s ambassador to the United Nations (UN) told the UN’s Security Council (UNSC) that Rwanda should be kicked out of UN forums because it had violated basic international law.
“In principle, countries like Rwanda which constantly trample on the basic rules of international law, as well as the values and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, should be deprived of the right to speak in the forums of the United Nations until the cessation of their reprehensible behaviour, in this case, the total withdrawal by Rwanda of its troops from the territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo,” he said.
Rwanda is a highly active member of the UN, contributing the third-largest police and troop contingent for UN peacekeeping operations.
According to Rwandan statistics, the country contributes 4 685 contingent troops and 1 105 police peacekeepers.
It also has the highest number of women peacekeepers in UN missions.
In the past few weeks, Rwanda discouraged the UN and AU’s security councils from offering assistance to the SADC forces in DRC (SAMIDRC) because Kigali fears the possibility of a regional war.
Those forces are under South African command. -