Border tensions between Rwanda and the Congo have worsened fueling fears of direct military clashes – as Rishi Sunak desperately tries to secure backing for his Rwanda migrant bill. A senior UN official for East Africa has warned the Security Council that the escalating row could draw in other regional countries such as Burundi.
The Congolese Government has been battling rebel groups in the country’s mineral-rich east. Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi, who is seeking reelection later this month, has accused the Rwandese Government of actively supporting the ethnically Tutsi militia group M23 which has fought a long-running bloody war with the central government.
The crisis comes as Rishi Sunak scrambles to win Conservative MP around the UK Government Rwanda immigration plan ahead of a key vote in Parliament.
Read More Sunak pays Rwanda extra £100m for asylum deal which hasn’t got off the ground
According to the UN humanitarian office, over 6.5 million people are displaced in Congo, with 5.5 million displaced in the eastern provinces, where renewed hostilities between the M23 and Congolese armed forces have forced over 500,000 to flee since October.
Accusing Rwandan soldiers of supporting M23 rebels, Congolese Ambassador Zenon Mukongo calls for an end to Rwandan aggression, troop withdrawal, eradication of armed groups including M23, and an intervention by the Security Council.
The eastern regions of Congo are rife with conflict between 120 armed groups vying for land and valuable minerals.
Meanwhile, the Rwanda Safety Bill could be defeated in the Commons if 29 Conservative MPs rebel, an unprecedented event since 1986.
The Rwanda Safety Bill could be defeated in the Commons if 29 Conservative MPs rebel, an unprecedented event since 1986. This legislation seeks to address Supreme Court concerns about the plan to deport certain asylum seekers to Rwanda rather than allowing them to seek refuge in the UK. Despite the court’s rejection of the scheme, the new bill and a treaty with Rwanda are intended to strengthen its legal standing.
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This legislation seeks to address Supreme Court concerns about the plan to deport certain asylum seekers to Rwanda rather than allowing them to seek refuge in the UK.
Despite the court’s rejection of the scheme, the new bill and a treaty with Rwanda are intended to strengthen its legal standing.
In a social media post, Mr Sunak publicly pleaded with MPs to back him: “Today MPs will vote on the toughest ever anti-illegal immigration legislation.
“This Bill will allow us to control who comes into this country – not criminal gangs or foreign courts. To stop the boats, we need to back this Bill.”
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