Armed forces of Democratic Republic of Congo have accused Rwanda of sending 500 Special Forces in disguise into Congolese territory, the latest accusation in an escalating dispute between the neighbours.

Rwanda’s army spokesman said it was a fake story. A government spokeswoman said Rwanda would not respond to baseless accusations.

In a statement, the Congolese military said 500 Rwandan Special Forces, wearing a green-black uniform that was different from their regular uniform, had been deployed in the Tshanzu area in North Kivu province, which bordered  Rwanda.

It called on the local population to exercise caution and to denounce anyone they see  wearing green-black uniforms.

Congo accused  Rwanda of actively supporting the M23 rebel group, which had been waging its most sustained offensive in Congo’s eastern borderlands since capturing vast swathes of territory in 2012-2013.

Rwanda denied this and in turn,  accused Congo’s army of firing into its own territory and of fighting alongside the FDLR, an armed group run by ethnic Hutus who fled Rwanda after taking part in the 1994 genocide.

The Congolese army’s statement also said that M23 rebels, supported by Rwanda, had attacked a UN peacekeeping force in the Rutshuru area, also in North Kivu, and had injured three Tanzanian peacekeepers.

The UN mission in Congo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The latest fighting in eastern Congo had forced thousands to flee their homes in a region that has had little respite from war since Rwanda and Uganda invaded in 1996, citing threats from local militia groups.

The M23 were the latest in a series of ethnic Tutsi-led insurgencies to rise up against Congolese forces, claiming to defend Tutsi interests against ethnic Hutu militias. 

(Reuters/NAN)