UN report accused Uganda of supporting M23 rebels in DRC as violence escalates

A recent UN report alleges that the Ugandan military has been backing the M23 rebel group in eastern DRC, a development that has heightened concerns of a full-scale war amidst intensifying violence in the region.

The Reuters news agency cited a report from the United Nations in the face of the growing clashes that have taken several lives.

According to the report by the UN Security Council’s Group of Experts, Uganda has failed to prevent the presence and movement of M23 and Rwandan Defense Forces (RDF) troops on its territory, despite the resurgence of the M23 crisis.

The report, submitted to the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee in April and shared with Security Council members in June, also revealed evidence of active support for M23 by Ugandan military and military intelligence officials, including meetings between M23 leaders, such as Sultani Makenga, and Ugandan officials on Ugandan soil.

Uganda has denied allegations of involvement in the conflict, stating that it is actively collaborating with the Congolese government forces.

The United Nations has consistently accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebel group, which has frequently captured significant areas of eastern Congo rich in minerals. Rwanda has repeatedly denied these allegations.

On its part, Rwanda alleged that Congo was financing and fighting alongside a Hutu rebel group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), that has attacked Tutsis in both countries.