The Kinshasa government has denounced visit by Rwandan journalists to areas under occupation by the M23 rebels saying it was unacceptable.
Patrick Muyaya the Kinshasa government spokesman said on Monday December 12 that he formally denounced the illegal and the irregular presence in Democratic Republic of Congo, of certain journalists from the “propaganda media and communicators” on Kigali regime payroll.
“From Bunagana to Kishishe via Bambo, Murimbi in the Tongo group and Rutshuru Center, they were escorted there by M23 rebels. It draws the attention of the national and international community to a new campaign of lies by Rwanda to truncate the facts, promote false testimonies of the natives and twist the neck of the truth about the massacre of Kishishe and others perpetrated by them through the territory of Rutshuru, in the province of North Kivu”, reads in part a statement from DRC’s Ministry of Communication and Media.
The Ministry of Communication and Media threatened to pursue legal means against the Rwandan journalists accuse by Kinshasa of propagating false information.
Kinshasa argues that the Rwandan journalists had come to extract testimonies from populations allegedly taken hostage by the rebels and that all the information was extracted under duress and death threats.
“This Rwando-M23 media collaboration is further proof of the proven and indisputable support of Rwanda”, the statement says.
