Rwanda criticizes the expulsion of its ambassador from the Congo | WGN 720 Radio

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Rwanda blamed neighboring Congo for escalating tensions between the two countries Sunday, a day after Rwanda’s ambassador to Congo was given 48 hours to leave the country following a rebel advance in the east.

Congo believes that Rwanda supports the M23 rebels, who have expanded their control over the past year. On Saturday, residents said the rebels had taken control of two more towns, including Kiwanja.

In a statement released after Rwandan ambassador Vincent Korega was ordered to leave Congo, the Rwandan government said its forces along the border “remain on alert”.

“It is very unfortunate that the DRC government continues to condemn Rwanda to cover up and distract from its own governance and security failures,” said a statement attributed to the government spokesperson’s office.

In a sign of rising tensions, around 100 protesters in Congo marched through the streets of Goma from the city center to the Rwandan border, denouncing “Rwandan aggression”. Some carried torn Rwandan flags and chanted hostile slogans. A Rwandan flag was set on fire at the border.

M23 rose to prominence more than a decade ago when its fighters seized Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo, which lies along the border with Rwanda. After the peace agreement, many M23 fighters were integrated into the national armed forces.

The group then resurfaced last November, saying the government had failed to deliver on its decade-old promises. By June, they had captured the strategic town of Bunagana near the border with Uganda.

M23 has become a flashpoint in Congolese-Rwanda relations: many of the M23 fighters are Congolese ethnic Tutsi, and the president of Rwanda is of Rwandan Tutsi descent.

In August, a report by UN experts said they had “solid evidence” that members of the Rwandan armed forces were conducting operations in eastern Congo in support of the M23 rebel group.

Rwanda, however, has repeatedly denied the allegations and accused Congolese forces of injuring several civilians in cross-border shelling.