Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta and the European Union (EU)’s Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen on Monday, February 19, discussed the conflict in eastern DR Congo, where hostilities between a government-led coalition and the M23 rebel group have escalated.

In a post on the social media platform X, Urpilainen said in the meeting held in the Belgian capital Brussels, she reiterated the EU’s "consistent position and support to the Luanda, Nairobi processes to find a political solution in the Eastern [DR Congo].”

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The meeting took place as different governments and organisations are pushing to revive the peace processes for the conflict, which also affected Rwanda and DR Congo diplomatic relations, as a result of accusations by the Congolese government that its neighbour supports the rebels.

Rwanda has stressed that the conflict is a result of internal issues in DR Congo, including bad governance, ethnic discrimination and violence. The Rwandan government also accuses the Congolese armed forces (FARDC) of integrating the FDLR, a Rwandan ethnic militia directly linked to the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda in 1994.

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At a mini-summit held in Ethiopia, on the side-lines of the African Union Summit, Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame urged regional leaders, including Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, to address the root causes of the conflict in eastern DR Congo, especially the integration the FDLR into the Congolese army.

The EU official said the conflict in eastern DR Congo would be among the topics of discussion when she visits Angola this week. Angola’s President Joao Lourenço is the mediator for the AU-backed Luanda Process, an initiative of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), which seeks to address the conflict in eastern DR Congo and the normalisation of diplomatic relations between Rwanda and DR Congo.

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The Rwandan government on Sunday said it was concerned by DR Congo’s military build-up in North Kivu province near the two countries’ shared border.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said Rwanda faced a "serious threat” from DR Congo, whose president has said on multiple occasions that he would declare a war on Rwanda.

The Rwandan government said the Congolese government had abandoned the Luanda and Nairobi peace initiatives in pursuit of a more offensive position that "clearly aims to expel M23 and Congolese Tutsi civilians into neighbouring countries.”

It said the Congolese political and military leadership had repeatedly declared their intention to invade Rwanda and change the country’s elected government by force.

"Rwanda takes them at their word, and has adjusted our posture accordingly,” the Ministry said in a statement. "This includes measures to ensure complete air defence of Rwandan territory, and to degrade offensive air capabilities, following the introduction of advanced Chinese CH-4 attack drones by DRC in 2023, and repeated violations of Rwandan air space by Congolese fighter jets.”

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Besides the FDLR, the government-led coalition in North Kivu includes troops from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Burundi, militias, and the United Nations mission in the country.

The Congolese government sought support from the SADC bloc after falling out with the East African Community Regional Force, which was tasked with observing a ceasefire and the M23 withdrawal agreed in November 2022 in the Angolan capital Luanda.

Just over a year after its deployment, the EAC force withdrew its troops from North Kivu in December 2023, when Tshisekedi’s government refused to renew its mandate, a development that was seen as a frustration of the regional peace efforts.

Another ceasefire brokered by the United States government in December 2023 failed to hold. The M23 rebels blamed the government coalition for ignoring the ceasefire. Fighting has since escalated.

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Since early February, the M23 rebels have advanced towards Goma, the capital of North Kivu, raising fears that they might take control of the city of an estimated two million people.

The situation in eastern DR Congo has raised concerns that the conflict may turn into a regional crisis if it is not contained early.

The M23 rebel group resurfaced in November 2021, after nearly a decade in hibernation. It said the Congolese government had ignored their previous agreements and that the persecution of Congolese Tutsi communities had continued unabated.

Eastern DR Congo has been volatile for nearly 30 years. The provinces of South Kivu, North Kivu and Ituri are home to more than 130 armed groups that are accused of atrocities and human rights violations.

Multiple regional and international interventions have failed to end decades of insecurity.