00:00Have Belgian troops been deployed in the DRC?
00:08News reports and social media posts have been circulating online
00:11claiming that Belgium has deployed troops to the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
00:16to fight against rebels in the region.
00:19They allege that between 300 and 400 Belgian commandos
00:22are expected to engage the M23 rebels alongside the Congolese army and militia groups
00:27and that Belgium and the EU in general are supporting the DRC to the detriment of Rwanda.
00:32Belgium, however, strongly denies the claims
00:34and has accused Rwanda of mounting a disinformation campaign against it
00:37amid mounting tensions between Brussels and Kigali
00:40that have led to the severing of diplomatic ties.
00:43Rwanda has pointed the finger at Belgium for allegedly taking sides against it
00:47in the ongoing conflict in the DRC's east.
00:49Belgium's Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Prévost said that the online claims were grotesque fake news
00:54and that a Belgian contingent of only six troops have been sent to the DRC city of Kindu
00:59to help implement European support for non-lethal equipment for the Congolese army.
01:03He added that Belgium is not participating in any military operation
01:07and that claims to the contrary only seek to sow confusion and escalate tensions.
01:12Counterclaims later emerged online,
01:14alleging that around eight Belgian troops had died fighting
01:17and that numerous military flights between Belgian and Congolese cities had taken place.
01:21But Belgium has issued its own counterclaims,
01:24with its Defence Ministry pointing us back to a press release in late March.
01:27It's said that around 10 Belgian soldiers are in Kindu
01:30as part of the EU's European Peace Facility Project,
01:33with Belgium supporting the DRC in the purchase of equipment
01:36and infrastructure work at Camp Luwama in the city.
01:39It added that Falcon's 7X aircraft have flown between Belgium and the DRC,
01:44but in the context of separate missions
01:45that have nothing to do with a new military deployment.
01:48Rwanda's Ministry of Foreign Affairs didn't respond to our request for comment
01:52as of the time of this report,
01:53while the DRC's Ministry of Foreign Affairs couldn't be reached.
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