​

Rwanda has officially condemned the M23 rebel administration in eastern DRC, a surprising twist for a country long accused of supporting the same group.

This statement came during a high-level peace and security summit held in Entebbe, Uganda. The summit brought together 12 African countries under the Regional Oversight Mechanism to monitor peace efforts in Congo and the Great Lakes region.

Rwanda, represented by James Kabarebe (a top government official and former general), joined in denouncing M23’s “parallel administration” in territories it captured from the Congolese government.

The Summit: Who Was There?

Presidents and ministers from countries including Burundi, Angola, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, South Africa, and others attended the Entebbe summit. DRC was represented by Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba.

They all jointly condemned M23 and foreign backers (a veiled reference to Rwanda) for illegally occupying land and establishing rebel authority structures.

 Rwanda's First Public Reversal on M23

This is the first time Rwanda publicly disavowed M23, despite years of Kigali portraying the group as Congolese Tutsis fighting for their rights. Kagame himself once said:

So what changed?