News reports and social media posts are spreading online, claiming that Belgium will deploy its troops east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to fight regional rebels.
They are expected to attract M23 rebels alongside Congolese forces and militia groups, and they claim that Belgium and the EU are generally supporting the DRC at Rwanda’s disadvantages.
However, Belgium strongly denied the claims and accused Rwanda of campaigning to acknowledge tensions between Brussels and Kigali. Diplomatic relations.
Rwanda is pointing his finger to Belgium in an ongoing conflict in the eastern DRC, which has seen violence for more than 30 years since Rwanda’s genocide in 1994.
Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Maxim Privott said online billing was “grotesque fake news.”
“The six Belgian soldiers (!) are in fact present in Kindu for the implementation of European support in non-lethal equipment to the Congolese forces.” He said in X’s March 26th post.. “Therefore, there is no development to participate in any business. We have no intention of doing so in Belgium!”
“For the rest, it clearly rings out that everything about this tweet is trying to stir up trouble and promote tension,” Prévot added.
His post came on the same day he told Belgian parliament that the claims were made as part of a disinformation campaign brought by Rwanda and “actors sympathetic to the Rwandan cause.”
He said the campaign was designed to “define the image of Belgium, exacerbate tensions and justify certain interventionism.”
The counter-argument later appeared online, claiming that eight Belgian troops were killed in the battle and numerous military flights took place between Belgian and the Congolese cities.
However, Belgium issued its own counterclaim. As they approached Eurovedi, the Ministry of Defense presented a press release released in late March.
Approximately 10 Belgian soldiers said they were in Kindu as part of the EU’s European Peace Facilities Project.
“This initiative is aimed at strengthening the EU’s ability to prevent conflict, integrate and maintain peace and strengthen international security and stability,” the press release said. “The beneficiary partner for this project is the DRC, with funding of 20 million euros from the EU.”
“Belgium will be working on this EPF project at Kindu until its latest December 2027,” he continued.
Specifically, Belgium’s role in the initiative is made up of two parts, according to the Ministry of Defense. The rapid response unit purchases equipment including engineering equipment for the 31st Brigade, infrastructure work at Camp Lwama in Kindu, which houses the same brigade.
The Falcon 7x aircraft flies between Belgium and the DRC, but added that it is flying in the context of separate missions that have nothing to do with the new military deployment.
“It is also important to point out that seven times the Falcon has a maximum capacity of 14 people, and that as part of the operation, deployment of Belgian military personnel must be approved in advance by the government,” the Ministry of Defense said.
This is not the first time the Rwandan government has been accused of launching a widespread disinformation campaign to achieve its objectives.
Clemson University Media Forensic Hub in South Carolina The survey was announced in June 2024. It has been found that President Paul Kagame’s government uses artificial intelligence to generate and spread political propaganda during the presidential election.
Hundreds of X accounts have used AI to share hundreds of thousands of posts to promote various propaganda stories, with most of them focusing on DRC competition.
Rwanda’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment, but was unable to reach the DRC’s Foreign Ministry.
The collapse of Belgium and Rwanda
Rwanda Reduce diplomatic relations In mid-March, Belgium ordered all Belgian diplomats to leave the country within 48 hours over the DRC conflict.
He said doing so would protect national interests as Belgium “is clearly on the side of regional conflicts and continues to systematically mobilize Rwanda on different forums.”
Kigali accused Brussels of “a pathetic attempt to maintain the neocolonial delusions,” pointing to Belgium’s “deeply violent historical role” in the violence of the DRC.
Belgium responded and canceled all government cooperation agreements between the two countries.
It said it rebutted the Rwandan statement to justify its decision.
“Belgium is not trying to punish or undermine Rwanda, but based on its colonial past, it kept its distance long ago.” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. “This is a complete distortion of fact.”
Kigali has been criticized by countries including Belgium for supporting the M23 rebels.
The M23 is one of approximately 100 armed groups working for control in mineral-rich regions near the Rwandan border.
The group’s fighters claim to protect the rights of local ethnic Tutsi peoples, but the DRC accused Rwanda of supporting rebels to control the local land, while Belgium accused him of undermining the integrity of the DRC’s territory.
A disconnection of the country’s diplomatic relations occurred as the EU slapped sanctions against five Rwandans related to DRC violence.
