Since the March 23 Movement (M23) took control of Goma in late January and Bukavu in February, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), there has been widespread international condemnation of Rwanda's role in the conflict. Several UN reports have shown Kigali's military support for this armed group, estimating that between 3,000 and 4,000 Rwandan soldiers are fighting alongside it.

In an interview, Olivier Nduhungirehe, Rwanda's minister of foreign affairs, justifies his country's positions, more than three years after the resumption of the conflict and as Angola has just announced it would host direct negotiations between the DRC and the M23 on Tuesday, March 18.

We have always said that direct negotiations between the Congolese government and the M23 are needed to tackle the root causes of the crisis. This movement has taken up arms again to oppose the persecution and discrimination of Rwandophone Congolese, and Tutsis in particular, while members of this community have again recently been lynched and others have been victims of cannibalism. These problems must be resolved: Rwandophones must be able to live in peace and security in the DRC.

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