UK signals potential aid cuts to Rwanda amid escalating violence in DR Congo

Britain has warned Rwanda that its involvement in the escalating conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo could put its annual aid package of over $1 billion at risk.

The crisis, which has taken a devastating turn, has left several dead while destroying homes and businesses since the crisis escalated.

According to Reuters, British Foreign Minister David Lammy, during a parliamentary session, revealed that Rwanda receives over $1 billion in global aid annually, including approximately £32 million ($39.8 million) in bilateral assistance from the UK.

However, he warned that the packages may be threatened as the fighting escalates between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“All of that is under threat when you attack your neighbours, and we are clear that we cannot have countries challenging the territorial integrity of other countries. Just as we will not tolerate it in the continent of Europe, we cannot tolerate it wherever in the world it happens. We have to be clear about that,” Lammy said

The warning comes amid growing criticism of ‘Western inaction’ by protesters in DR Congo.

Recently, thousands of Congolese residents took to the streets in protest, attacking several embassies accused of involvement in the conflict.

The protesters accused the countries of supporting Rwanda’s alleged ties to the M23 group, a claim that Kigali has denied.

Among the embassies attacked were those of France, Belgium, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and the United States.

The crisis escalated earlier this week when M23 rebels captured Goma, a city of 2 million people in the DRC, on Monday, despite widespread calls for them to halt their offensive and implement a ceasefire.

The crises are a significant escalation of a long-standing conflict over power, identity, and resources, which has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and displaced more than 1 million people since it reemerged.

Although the Rwandan government denies any links to the M23 rebels, who are currently attacking eastern Congo, many continue to point to President Kagame’s forces as complicit in the attacks.

According to a Reuters report, Rwanda has accused DR Congo of sheltering some of the perpetrators of the 1994 genocide, in which Hutu extremists killed Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

These extremists were later toppled by Tutsi-led forces under Kagame.

Rwanda claims these rebel forces have formed militias aligned with the Congolese government, posing a threat to both Congolese Tutsis and Rwanda itself.

In response, Congo rejects Rwanda’s accusations and asserts that Rwanda has used proxy militias to control and loot valuable minerals, such as coltan, which is essential for manufacturing smartphones.

The M23 group has controlled Congo’s coltan-rich Rubaya region for over a year, earning approximately $800,000 monthly from production taxes, as reported by the U.N.