Rwandan President Paul Kagame has taken a strong stand against South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, accusing him of being dishonest amid growing tensions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). He warned that if South Africa prefers confrontation, “Rwanda will handle the matter in that context any day.”
Kagame’s comments were a direct response to Ramaphosa’s statements about the situation in Eastern DR Congo, where both nations have important interests. Kagame claimed that South African officials had twisted private discussions about the crisis, calling their public remarks full of “lies and deliberate attacks”. He was particularly upset by Ramaphosa referring to the Rwandan Defence Force (RDF) as a “militia,” which he found deeply offensive.
At the centre of this conflict is the involvement of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in DR Congo through a mission called SAMIDRC. Kagame argued that this mission is not just about keeping peace but is instead an aggressive force involved in combat operations. He expressed concern that it works with armed groups that threaten Rwanda’s safety.
Kagame joked about Ramaphosa’s supposed warnings to Rwanda, suggesting that if such warnings were given, they must have been in a language he doesn’t understand. He also claimed that Ramaphosa had privately admitted that South African soldiers killed in DR Congo were not attacked by M23 rebels but by the Congolese military instead.
Ramaphosa has accused Rwanda of supporting M23 rebels who are causing instability in DR Congo. He stressed South Africa’s commitment to peace and stability in the region, stating that their military presence aims to restore order rather than engage in aggression. “We cannot tolerate militia groups threatening the sovereignty of DR Congo,” he said.
Kagame acknowledged South Africa’s interest in peacekeeping but insisted they are not in a position to act as mediators in this complex situation. The conflict has attracted international attention, with discussions at the United Nations Security Council highlighting the urgent need for a resolution.
The situation became even more urgent when M23 captured Goma, the capital of North Kivu, causing alarm among international observers and prompting UN peacekeepers to flee for safety. As regional leaders work to find peace, recent meetings have faced challenges, including snubs from key figures like DR Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi.
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2 comments
Let’s start by blaming the British Imperialists and their compatriots that drew boundaries we didn’t need. Then let’s go ahead to cultivate a path of peace which acknowledges that the Banyarwanda are not only a nation but they’re also a tribe that is already out in parts of Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and DRC and as such their position and locations of existence must be respected and honored not as an affiliate to the country Rwanda but as a tribe of those specific countries. The same way Uganda acknowledges their existence in Uganda which has created peace and harmonization.
The most affected countries in the full scale of conflict in DRC would be Uganda and Rwanda because we’ll have to pick up the crumbs of the battle and this is Uganda and Rwanda that must have major interest in ensuring peace prevails in the DRC.
Now it’s not new that all other actors just want to pillage the country, and that includes South Africa, they must probably world prefer to keep it in conflict to extract as many of its resources. One may argue that Uganda is already culprit to illegal extraction of the countries resources and yes that would be true but one mistake cannot be held into forever, it has already cost Uganda a lot financially. The UN, SAMIDRC, FARDL, etc are all problems of DRC and you can even call them enemies of DRC. Under the EAC fraternity, DRC was ushered in to try and forge a path of communion where they’re aligned and work for the common good alongside DRC as a fraternal associate. Uganda has even gone ahead to move to construct roads and necessary infrastructure to create a winning mutual interest for both countries, even amidst opposition from some elements in Uganda.
The only parties that can align to create peace in DRC will be the EAC, DRC, UGANDA and RWANDA. The rest of the lot including South Africa only sell to create hypocritical and diversive arena’s for intensified battle
Interesting