Congo military accuses Rwanda of invasion; rebels seize town

By AL-HADJI KUDRA MALIRO and JUSTIN KABUMBA
Associated Press

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Congo’s military is accusing Rwanda of “no less than an invasion” after a rebel group captured a key town in eastern Congo. The military confirmed late Monday that Bunagana had fallen into rebel hands earlier in the morning. Rwanda, however, has repeatedly denied that it backs the M23 rebel group. Bunagana is only 60 kilometers (37 miles) northeast of Goma, a city of nearly 2 million people that also serves as a hub for trade, international aid organizations and the U.N. peacekeeping mission. Relations between Rwanda and Congo have been fraught for decades. Rwanda alleges that Congo gave refuge to the ethnic Hutus who carried out the 1994 Rwandan genocide.