The rebels rejected the statements made by government spokesman Patrick Muyaya regarding the illegal occupation of Congolese territory by Rwandan forces and the continued expansion of occupied areas in the east of the country, as well as a progression southward.

In a statement, they asserted that these claims are part of a propaganda and manipulation campaign to divide and deflect responsibility for the military offensive and violations of the ceasefire brokered by Qatar.

The AFC/M23 accused Kinshasa of attacking densely populated areas and alerted the international community to a “real risk of imminent genocide against Congolese Tutsis,” in addition to the deliberate spread of hate speech and the stigmatization of this ethnic group.

They also stated that the government maintains a policy of systematic exclusion and discrimination, while persistently violating the ceasefire and the Doha Framework Agreement.

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