US: Rwanda must end support for M23 rebels

The United States on Tuesday called on Rwanda to end support for M23 rebels in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), saying there was evidence Rwandan military officials were involved. “We call upon Rwanda to immediately end any support for the M23 [and] withdraw military personnel from eastern DRC,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. The call comes two days before U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry leads a special session of the U.N. Security Council on Africa’s Great Lakes region. Psaki said the concerns followed a “credible body of evidence” in a recent report by Human Rights Watch that said M23 rebels in the DRC were to blame for executions, rapes, and forcible recruitment of men and boys while receiving support from Rwanda.