Rwandan President Paul Kagame has told CNN he doesn’t know if his country’s troops are in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where fighting between the M23 armed group and Congolese soldiers has killed more than 700 people and injured thousands in recent days.

Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya rejected the claims, saying South African troops have been involved in peacekeeping missions in the region for over 20 years.

The Congolese government, alongside U.N. officials and Western powers, including the United States, has accused neighbouring Rwanda of exacerbating the conflict by deploying thousands of troops and heavy weaponry in support of M23.