The UK has announced the suspension of bilateral support for Rwanda due to its support for the M23 armed group in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where more than 7,000 people have been killed.

Earlier this month, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said that Rwanda receives around 40 million dollars in bilateral aid from the UK every year.

However, the freezing of support will not affect the "poorest and most vulnerable".

The UK is considering extending sanctions to suspend support for military training in the field of defense.

In a statement quoted by the BBC, the UK said the measures would remain in place until significant progress had been made towards ending the war and Rwandan troops had left the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In reaction, the Rwandan Foreign Ministry said that the "punitive measures" announced by the UK government "in response to the conflict in eastern DRC - where the UK has now clearly chosen a side - are regrettable".

"The measures do nothing to help the Democratic Republic of Congo, nor do they contribute to achieving a sustainable political solution to the conflict in the east of the DRC," he said.