US accuses Rwanda of fuelling instability in DRC at UN

Kinshasa [DRC], December 13 : US envoy to the UN, Mike Waltz, accused Rwanda of fueling instability and war in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

"Rwanda is leading the region towards increased instability and war," US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz told the UN Security Council. "We will use the tools at our disposal to hold to account spoilers to peace."

The UN and the Security Council have repeatedly described the majority-Tutsi M23 militia as backed by Rwanda - a claim Kigali has repeatedly denied.

Fighting and insecurity continue in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, amid rising diplomatic anger over the latest offensive by the M23 rebels, backed by Rwanda.

According to regional officials, more than 400 civilians have been killed in South Kivu Province since the rebel group escalated its offensive and entered the strategic city of Uvira, France 24 reported.

A peace deal brokered by the US last week was intended to end Rwanda's involvement in the conflict; however, it has had little effect on the ground.

The UK has announced that it will impose sanctions on senior commanders of the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces for their alleged involvement in "heinous violence" in the Darfur region. This announcement comes amid significant resource shortages due to funding cuts, as reported by several humanitarian organisations, including the UN World Food Programme.

On Friday, the seventh session of the United Nations Environment Assembly concluded with Kenyan President William Ruto calling for a green, inclusive economic transformation. Delegates from over 170 countries gathered in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, for four days to discuss and deliver so-called 'real-world solutions to real-world problems' caused by the worsening climate crisis, as per France 24.

The Kenyan president stressed that Africa, one of the world's least polluting continents, was already bearing the brunt of the crisis, and that economic growth must go hand in hand with green initiatives.

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