KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Rwandan soldiers and Tutsi rebels were advancing Thursday across this vast African nation in a scene eerily reminiscent of Congo President Laurent Kabila’s own march to power last year.
Government spokesman Didier Mumenge warned Congo would “extend the war into Rwanda” unless the international community pressured the tiny country to withdraw Rwandan troops allegedly allied with the rebels.
The rebel offensive is believed led by many of the same ethnic Tutsi fighters — known as Banyamulenge — and Rwandan soldiers, also Tutsis, who played a key role in Kabila’s victory over longtime dictator Mobutu Sese Seko last year.
Rwanda has repeatedly denied involvement in the conflict, but aid workers and other eyewitnesses say they have seen Rwandan troops.
Key rebel gains in eastern Congo included the cities of Bukavu and Goma near the border with Rwanda, which were reportedly seized Wednesday. Fighting continued Thursday in the city of Kisangani further into the interior, according to aid workers and rebel sources.