Latest news with #RwandaM23
BBC News
9 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Focus on Africa How different will the Rwanda-DRC peace deal be?
There is a glimmer of hope that three decades of conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo could end after the government agreed a draft peace deal with Rwanda, a country accused of funding the M23, a group that has taken over some significant towns in the east of DRC. Representatives of the two countries will formally sign the agreement next week. But will this deal brokered by the United States work where others have failed? Also, Egypt scrambles for gas supplies after Israel's oil refineries are struck by Iranian strikes and we examine whether other countries in Africa have been affected too. And a bra-scandal: why female staff members at a university in Nigeria were touching the breasts of students before allowing them to take an exam? Presenter: Audrey Brown Producers: Yvette Twagiramariya, Bella Hassan and Blessing Aderogba Technical Producer: Chris Ablakwa Senior Journalist: Sunita Nahar Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi
Free Malaysia Today
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Rwanda quits Central African bloc in dispute with Congo
Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized eastern Congo's two largest cities earlier this year. (AP pic) KIGALI : Rwanda has said it would withdraw from the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), underscoring diplomatic tensions in the region over an offensive this year by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in eastern Congo. Kigali had expected to assume the chairmanship of the 11-member bloc at a meeting on Saturday in Equatorial Guinea. Instead, the bloc kept Equatorial Guinea in the role, which Rwanda's foreign ministry denounced as a violation of its rights. Rwanda, in a statement, condemned Congo's 'instrumentalisation' of the bloc and saw 'no justification for remaining in an organisation whose current functioning runs counter to its founding principles'. It wasn't clear if Rwanda's exit from the bloc would take immediate effect. The office of Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi said in a statement that ECCAS members had 'acknowledged the aggression against the Democratic Republic of Congo by Rwanda and ordered the aggressor country to withdraw its troops from Congolese soil'. M23 seized eastern Congo's two largest cities earlier this year, with the advance leaving thousands dead and raising concerns of an all-out regional war. African leaders along with Washington and Doha have been trying to broker a peace deal. Congo, the UN and western powers accuse Rwanda of supporting M23 by sending troops and weapons. Rwanda has long denied helping M23, saying its forces were acting in self-defence against Congo's army and ethnic Hutu militiamen linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide that killed around 1 million people, mostly ethnic Tutsis. US President Donald Trump's administration hopes to strike a peace accord between Congo and Rwanda that would also facilitate billions in western investment in the region, which is rich in minerals including tantalum, gold, cobalt, copper and lithium. ECCAS was established in the 1980s to foster cooperation in areas like security and economic affairs among its member states.
