Aasai

The statement follows an announcement by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group on Saturday, in which it claimed to have captured fighters from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). The FDLR, a militia formed by ethnic Hutus who participated in the 1994 Rwandan genocide against the Tutsi, has long been cited by Rwanda as justification for its support of M23.

With Rwandan backing, the M23 has taken control of large parts of eastern DRC, including the key provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu. The group recently released a video showing what it described as the handover of 20 captured FDLR fighters to Rwandan authorities at a border post.

However, the Congolese armed forces dismissed the footage as a deliberate ploy.

"This is a faked incident in poor taste orchestrated with the sole aim of discrediting our army," the DRC militarys chief of staff said in a statement.

The statement further accused Rwanda of staging the event to justify its involvement in DRC’s conflict.

"The Rwandan authorities, who specialize in the art of lies and manipulation, took old FDLR detainees, dressed them in new military fatigues, and passed them off as FDLR fighters newly captured in Goma."

Additionally, the DRC high command accused the Rwandan army of committing "summary executions" of wounded and sick soldiers at a field hospital in Goma—acts it described as war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The escalating conflict in eastern DRC has heightened fears of a broader regional war, potentially drawing in Rwanda, Uganda, and other neighboring countries.