US senator questions aid to Rwanda over human rights, role in Congo

Robert Menendez

US Senator Robert Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. AFP PHOTO 

The chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee said he would place a hold on US security assistance to Rwanda in Congress over concerns about the Rwandan government's human rights record and role in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Senator Robert Menendez called for a comprehensive review of US policy towards Rwanda.