African U.N. troops raise stakes for Rwanda in Congo crisis

U.N. peacekeepers drive their tank as they patrol past the deserted Kibati village near Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, August 7, 2013. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

KIGALI (Reuters) - The deployment of a U.N. force of African troops in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo threatens to draw Rwanda into a damaging conflict with African powers and derail its economic "miracle" if donors again cut aid over Kigali's involvement there.

President Paul Kagame has twice marched his troops over the border since Rwanda's 1994 genocide. One of the justifications he cited was his country's national security, the need to counter a threat Kigali said was posed by those behind the genocide who had found haven in eastern Congo.