The Rwandan government does not recognize the presence of its soldiers on Congolese soil, an official statement issued Saturday in Kigali said.The statement also rejects the accusations made by the UN group of experts in its mid-term report published last December.

According to officials in Kigali,  the Rwandan Army is not involved in any military operation on Congolese territory.

“Rwanda  maintains cordial bilateral relations with the DR Congo and there are  several bilateral cooperation commitments, including military  cooperation,” reads part of the statement.

It said however that   such cooperation is limited exclusively to sharing intelligence on  various armed groups operating in eastern DRC which constitute a common  threat to both countries, ”the Rwandan government said in a statement.

The  statement also reaffirms Rwandan Government’s commitment to promote  national and regional mechanisms for the governance of natural resources  in the fight against the illegal exploitation and trade of minerals in  the region.

The Rwandan government supports its argument, he  explains that in February 2020, it presented to the group of experts  minerals that had been seized as part of the efforts to combat  smuggling.

Moreover, Rwandan authorities say they regret the  shortcomings of the Group of Experts report “and the lack of good faith  shown by the experts”.

The Rwandan Government also expresses  deepest concerns about the lack of rigor of the United Nations group of  experts in carrying out its mandate, which raises serious concerns about  the independence of its reports”.