A Congolese army tank heads towards the front line near Kibumba in the area surrounding the North Kivu city of Goma on May 25, 2022 during clashes between the Congolese army and M 23 rebels. ARLETTE BASHIZI AFP KIGALI, May 31 - Rwanda will retaliate if it suffers further attacks from the Democratic Republic of Congo, its foreign minister said on Tuesday, after accusing Congo of firing shells across the border earlier this month.
In response to what Kigali said was Kigali's support for M 23 rebels in its eastern borderlands, Congo summoned Rwanda's ambassador and suspended RwandAir flights to Congo over the weekend.
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Rwanda denies the claims and accuses Congo's army of fighting the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, an armed group founded by ethnic Hutus who fled Rwanda after participating in the 1994 genocide.
Rwanda will have the right to respond to protect the security of the country, to protect the security of its citizens and we have the means to do that, Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta told reporters.
The two countries have improved since Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi came to power three years ago because of the clashes.
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