KAMPALA, Uganda -- Following months of heated exchanges between international observers and Rwandan officials, a United Nations investigative body leveled its most detailed and controversial accusations over alleged Rwandan support for the Congolese M23 rebels in a 44-page report leaked late Tuesday.
The document claims that Rwandan Defense Minister Gen. James Kabarebe exercises direct command over the rebel group. Formerly integrated into the Congolese army, M23 launched a mutiny in April, carving a significant swathe of territory out of the volatile, crisis-prone eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ever since.
The Ugandan government is also implicated in the U.N. allegations. Though Uganda is now spearheading the reconciliation effort between M23 and the DRC government, while also seeking to orchestrate the deployment of a neutral regional force to quell instability in eastern DRC, some analysts have been skeptical of the motives and sincerity behind Kampala’s efforts.