UK Pauses Bilateral Aid to Rwanda Amid DRC Rebel Support Concerns

The UK government has suspended aid to Rwanda and cut high-level engagement with its government over Kigali’s backing of the M23 rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In addition, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) threatened sanctions, paused export licenses for the Rwanda Defence Force, and suspended military training for its soldiers. British officials cited Kigali’s links to the M23 rebels, which recently seized Goma and Bukavu in the DRC’s mineral-rich east, as the reason for its decision. The UK urged an immediate end to hostilities, with the FCDO stating that Rwanda should pursue a political, rather than military, solution to the conflict.

Source: The Guardian