Are Rwandan troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo?
The evidence says yes. The United Nations peacekeeping force in Congo, MONUC, has aerial photographs of well-armed soldiers, who are not from the Congolese army, in northeastern Congo. Congolese living in the region identify the soldiers as part of the Rwandan Defense Force (RDF). Combat has been reported in this region during the last week. Since December 1, some wounded RDF soldiers have been treated at a hospital in Gisenyi, the Rwandan town nearest this part of northeastern Congo. What do Rwandan authorities say? Rwandan authorities deny the presence of their troops in Congo, but in a late November letter to the African Union, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said that if Rwanda sent troops into the Congo, they would be home within two weeks. He left it unclear whether troops had already crossed into the Congo. In a speech before the Rwandan senate on November 30, President Kagame said it was possible that such military operations had already begun. The same day a Rwandan letter to th
