Kivu Security Tracker, a well known and established research group working in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, has confirmed previous reports of Rwandan army entering Congolese territory in April 2020.
Based on their investigation, Rwandan soldiers launched attacks against the FDLR hutu rebels in various villages located in the territory of Rutshuru.
The Rwandan army managed to dislodge the rebels and burned 105 houses, says the research group report.
In what is believed to be a retaliation, days later the FDLR managed to ambush a military convoy , killing 4 Rwandans and 9 Congolese soldiers.
In the following weeks another ambush took place in the region, in Virunga National Park, which saw 17 people loosing their lives, including 12 rangers. Officials at the park placed the responsibility of the attack on FDLR rebels, a statement later supported by the Congolese defense force.
The Democratic forces for the liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) is a rebel movement that fled Rwanda and has been operating in Congo's Kivu region since the end of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide . Their existence has been at the centre of strained relations between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Rwandan army has on countless occasions invaded Congo in persuit for the rebels, whom they claim are a threat to Rwandan security; however Congo has often regarded such action as an opportunity by Rwanda to loot its mineral resources.
During a press conference on April 27 2020, Rwandan President Paul Kagame vehemently denied the presence of any Rwandan soldier in Congo and instead pointed to information that his intelligent officials had told him of Burundian troops roaming on Congolese soil.
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