Britain says it is withholding £21 million of aid which was about to be paid to Rwanda because of “credible” reports that the government in Kigali is supporting rebels in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Britain is the latest western ally to freeze aid after a United Nations report said Rwanda was behind an eight-month-old rebellion responsible for the worst fighting in eastern Congo for years.
The Kigali government said it was disappointed and that blaming Rwanda for the violence would not end the conflict. “This action harms Rwanda and does nothing to help the DRC,” Rwanda’s foreign minister Louise Mushikiwabo said. – (Reuters)