Daily Times

Kinshasa, Dec 23 (AFP/APP):Rwanda’s army “engaged in military operations” against DR Congo’s military in the country’s troubled east, according to a report by a group of independent United Nations experts seen by AFP on Thursday. The experts said there was “substantial evidence” that the Rwandan army directly intervened in Congo’s fight against M23 rebels, and that it had supported the group with weapons, ammunition and uniforms. A government spokesman in Kigali denied Rwanda supported the rebels, and declined to comment on specific allegations until the findings were formally published. The report comes as the Democratic Republic of Congo has repeatedly accused Rwanda of backing the M23. The militia has captured swathes of territory in the DRC’s restive east since it emerged from dormancy late last year. Current frontlines lie just 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Goma, a commercial hub of over one million people.