KIGALI, Rwanda 

Burundian soldiers deployed to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo spend days shelling civilians, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said Thursday, highlighting Burundi’s military involvement in the conflict in South Kivu province.

There was no immediate reaction from Burundi.

But Burundi formally deployed its troops to Congo in 2023, ostensibly to help government forces combat the M23 rebel group.

At some point, Burundi's President Evariste Ndayishimiye defended the deployment, saying the soldiers were there to protect Burundi against its insurgents based in Congo.

Kagame said that recent events in Uvira revealed thousands of Burundian soldiers operating in Uvira, Minembwe, Kalemie, Kindu and others who had moved to Walikale and Kisangani.

The Rwandan leader said more than 20,000 Burundian soldiers have been deployed to Congo, some in North Kivu’s Goma and Rutshuru localities.

“You have to ask: How did such a large Burundian force enter Congo? Clearly there is a serious problem. They spend their days shelling people in Minembwe with artillery and drones. And those in the international community who talk endlessly -- where are they? People have cried out for help, and no one has intervened,” he said during a swearing in ceremony of newly appointed leaders in the capital city Kigali.

His remarks came a day after the M23 rebels claimed to have seized Uvira, a key commercial hub close to the border with Burundi, which served as a temporary capital of South Kivu province.

The capture of Uvira led to a major humanitarian crisis, displacing more than 200,000 people who were forced to flee their homes, according to the UN.

On Wednesday, the Congolese government attributed the violence in Uvira to a “widespread offensive launched in recent days by the Rwandan Defense Forces” along the Kamanyola-Uvira axis, calling it a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire and the commitments made under recent peace agreements.

Kigali denied the accusations.

Instead, Rwanda on Wednesday accused the Congolese and Burundian armies of violating a ceasefire provided under a Washington peace deal championed by US President Donald Trump.

“Then recently, after the fighting in Uvira, an international outcry suddenly emerged claiming, ‘It is Rwanda.’ So now Rwanda is expected to bear responsibility for all the problems unfolding inside Congo,” said Kagame.

The M23 resumed fighting in 2021, launching a lightning offensive that led to the capture of several territories including the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu.

The UN, Kinshasa and others accuse neighboring Rwanda of supporting the M23, which Kigali denies.

The rebel group has been appealing to Burundian troops to pull out of Congo, saying their presence amounts to interference in Congolese affairs.

But on Monday, Burundi’s Foreign Minister Edouard Bizimana warned that “any attack targeting Burundian citizens or soldiers deployed in the DRC will never be tolerated.”