In a recent interview with the BBC, DRC Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka dismissed calls for an "inclusive dialogue" that includes M23. Instead, she stated that the country's focus is on diplomatic engagement with Rwanda, which Congolese authorities accuse of fueling the conflict.
Regional leaders from the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have urged direct talks between Kinshasa and M23, but the DRC has maintained its stance.
The Angolan-brokered peace talks collapsed in December after Rwanda demanded that the Congolese government negotiate with the rebels.
Despite the DRC government's claims, Rwanda has repeatedly denied allegations of supporting M23, arguing that insecurity in eastern DRC stems from poor governance.
Kigali asserts that the Congolese government is attempting to divert international attention from the root causes of the conflict, including decades of marginalisation and persecution of Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese.
In the wake of the capture of Goma and Bukavu, Corneille Nangaa, leader of the AFC rebel alliance, which includes M23, recently reiterated that the fighters are Congolese and do not rely on Rwandan support.
"Kinshasa continues to push a misleading narrative, claiming that any Congolese who speaks Kinyarwanda is Rwandan. Yes, some of our soldiers were born in Rutshuru, Masisi, and Nyiragongo and speak Kinyarwanda. Does that mean they are part of the Rwandan army?" Nangaa posed.
During her interview with the BBC, the prime minister denied any ties between the Congolese army and the FDLR, a group composed of remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
However, multiple reports, including those from United Nations (UN) experts, have documented cooperation between the Congolese army and FDLR fighters in their battle against M23 in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.
IGIHE
