Rwanda has been elected to sit on the United Nations Security Council for the next two years.
The vote comes a day after a disclosed UN report said Rwanda was supporting a revolution in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.
Five non-permanent seats to the 15-member council were decided at the United Nations on Thursday.
Argentina, Australia, South Korea and Luxembourg have also been elected to sit on the Security Council.
According to a private report by the UN Security Council’s Group of Experts, seen by Reuters news agency, Rwanda’s defence minister was relaying military instructions to M23 rebellious leaders who have been fighting DRC’s army since April.
The experts also blamed Uganda of supporting the rebels.
Both governments in Kampala and Kigali strongly denied the accusations.
The DRC raised a formal objection to Rwanda’s candidacy but one of Kigali’s UN diplomats said voters would not be influenced by the “baseless report”.
Rwanda will take the seat currently filled by South Africa on 1 January.
BBC UN correspondent Barbara Plett said there was a firm pattern of revolution on the Security Council, with eastern Africa due to take the African seat for 2013-14. There was an contract to put Rwanda forward, and no other country disputed it, she said.
In a statement, Rwandan Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo said her government could bid a sole viewpoint on matters of war and peace because of the 1994 genocide in which a million Tutsis died.
The contrast could not be sharper between now and 1993-4 “when a genocidal government occupied a prized Security Council seat,” she said.
Philippe Bolopion, UN Director of New York-based campaign group Human Rights Watch, said that with a seat on the Security Council, Rwanda would be in a position to block any sanctions against its officials.
“If they were, after being elected to the UN Security Council, to immediately stop all their support to M23 that would be great news. But nothing in their recent behaviour would suggest that it would happen,” he told the BBC World Service’s Focus on Africa programed.
The vote comes a day after a disclosed UN report said Rwanda was supporting a revolution in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.
Five non-permanent seats to the 15-member council were decided at the United Nations on Thursday.
Argentina, Australia, South Korea and Luxembourg have also been elected to sit on the Security Council.
According to a private report by the UN Security Council’s Group of Experts, seen by Reuters news agency, Rwanda’s defence minister was relaying military instructions to M23 rebellious leaders who have been fighting DRC’s army since April.
The experts also blamed Uganda of supporting the rebels.
Both governments in Kampala and Kigali strongly denied the accusations.
The DRC raised a formal objection to Rwanda’s candidacy but one of Kigali’s UN diplomats said voters would not be influenced by the “baseless report”.
Rwanda will take the seat currently filled by South Africa on 1 January.
BBC UN correspondent Barbara Plett said there was a firm pattern of revolution on the Security Council, with eastern Africa due to take the African seat for 2013-14. There was an contract to put Rwanda forward, and no other country disputed it, she said.
In a statement, Rwandan Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo said her government could bid a sole viewpoint on matters of war and peace because of the 1994 genocide in which a million Tutsis died.
The contrast could not be sharper between now and 1993-4 “when a genocidal government occupied a prized Security Council seat,” she said.
Philippe Bolopion, UN Director of New York-based campaign group Human Rights Watch, said that with a seat on the Security Council, Rwanda would be in a position to block any sanctions against its officials.
“If they were, after being elected to the UN Security Council, to immediately stop all their support to M23 that would be great news. But nothing in their recent behaviour would suggest that it would happen,” he told the BBC World Service’s Focus on Africa programed.