The Democratic Republic of Congo claimed on Wednesday that an “attempted intrusion by Rwandan nationals” into a hotel in Washington DC where the Congolese first lady was staying during an official visit to the US was foiled after a clash with her security aides.
The Congolese embassy in the US said in a statement that the “serious breach of security involving a high-ranking Congolese figure,” first lady Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi, was immediately reported to the authorities to shed full light on the incident, which took place on Tuesday.
Tshisekedi was among the first ladies attending the Fostering the Future Together Global Coalition Summit at the invitation of her American counterpart Melania Trump.
In response, however, Rwanda accused the Congolese information minister of “gross misrepresentation of what transpired.”
'Staying at the same hotel'
A statement by the Rwandan embassy in the US said an “unarmed member of the security detail of a Rwandan VIP staying in a Washington, DC hotel inadvertently encountered security agents of a Congolese delegation in a hotel hallway accessible to all guests," adding that both delegations were staying at the same hotel.
“The Rwandan detail member was briefly restrained from accessing the elevator by the DRC security agents, which was inappropriate in a common area, but the matter was eventually resolved without further escalation,” it said.
It added that following the incident, the Rwandan party “made a decision to change hotels, but were harassed and filmed by unknown persons as they checked out and departed.”
US authorities are yet to issue a statement on the incident.
Frosty relations
However, the Congolese embassy’s statement argued that “given the circumstances, this incident cannot be downplayed or reduced to a mere misunderstanding.”
The row comes on the back of frosty relations between Kigali and Kinshasa over a conflict in eastern DR Congo involving the M23 rebel group.
DR Congo and the UN accuse Rwanda of supporting M23 rebel group, allegations that Kigali has repeatedly denied.
