If South Africa wants to contribute to peaceful solutions, that is well and good, but South Africa is in no position to take on the role of a peacemaker or mediator. And if South Africa prefers confrontation, Rwanda will deal with the matter in that context any day. — Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda
Rwandan President Paul Kagame has told his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa that Kigali was ready for war with Pretoria if the latter prefers confrontation.
The exchanges between Kagame and Ramaphosa are over their countries’ role(s) in the DR Congo conflict as M23 rebels take control of Goma City.
Kagame was irked by, among others, Ramaphosa’s reference to Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) as a militia group, and by the South African president’s views on the role of SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC).
First, Cyril Ramaphosa’s statement:
Fellow South Africans,
Following the recent intensification of fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Africa has lost 13 brave soldiers who were dedicated to their mission and committed to peace. The fighting is the result of an escalation by the rebel group M23 and Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) militia engaging the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) and attacking peacekeepers from the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC).
On behalf of the government and the people of our country, I express our sincerest condolences to their families, their loved ones and colleagues. We bow our heads in honor of their heroic and gallant fight for peace.
We honour and mourn them.
All necessary support is being provided to the families of the deceased and the families of the injured. The process to repatriate the remains of the deceased is underway.
The attacks on peacekeepers resulted in the deaths of SAMIDRC members from other troop contributing countries, namely, Malawi and Tanzania, as well members of the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) brigade. We honour all the lives that were lost and pass our condolences to their families, governments and citizens. The situation in Goma and Sake, where our troops and their counterparts are stationed, remains very tense, volatile and unpredictable.
The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Ms Angie Motshekga and the Chief of the SANDF Gen Rudzani Maphwanya and SAMIDRC Force Commander Maj Gen Monwabisi Dyakopu are working to ensure that the SAMIDRC forces remain well equipped and sufficiently supported during this critical mission.
We are concerned about the speculation about the state of our troops and the battle conditions. All South Africans must rally behind our brave men and women who have dedicated their lives to bringing peace in our continent. South Africa’s military presence in the eastern DRC is not a declaration of war against any country or state. The members of the South African National Defence Force that are in the DRC are part of both SADC and United Nations efforts to bring peace and protect thousands of lives that are constantly threatened by the conflict in the DRC. The presence of the SAMIDRC forces demonstrates a commitment of SADC member states to supporting the DRC in its efforts to achieve lasting peace and stability and ultimately, create an enabling environment for sustainable development and prosperity.
We welcome the position that was recently adopted by the United Nations Security Council during its special sitting on the situation in the DRC, which calls for an immediate end to hostilities, the reversal of territorial expansion by the M23, the exit of external forces from the DRC and the resumption of peace talks under the Nairobi Process.
The territorial integrity of the DRC must be respected in accordance with the United Nations Charter on the respect of sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of other states.
We call on all parties to this conflict to fully embrace the current diplomatic efforts that are aimed at finding a peaceful resolution, including honoring the Luanda Process agreements. We must silence the guns on our continent for the attainment of inclusive development and prosperity.
I thank you.
Next, Kagame Responds to Ramaphosa
I held two conversations this week with President Ramaphosa on the situation in Eastern DRC, including earlier today [January 29, 2025]. What has been said about these conversations in the media by South African officials and President Ramaphosa himself contains a lot of distortion, deliberate attacks, and even lies. If words can change so much from a conversation to a public statement, it says a lot about how these very important issues are being managed.
A few important clarifications for the record:
The Rwanda Defence Force is an army, not a militia.
SAMIDRC is not a peacekeeping force, and it has no place in this situation. It was authorized by SADC as a belligerent force engaging in offensive combat operations to help the DRC Government fight against its own people, working alongside genocidal armed groups like FDLR which target Rwanda, while also threatening to take the war to Rwanda itself.
SAMIDRC displaced a true peacekeeping force, the East African Community Regional Force, and this contributed to the failure of the negotiation processes.
President Ramaphosa has never given a “warning” of any kind, unless it was delivered in his local language which I do not understand. He did ask for support to ensure the South African force has adequate electricity, food and water, which we shall help communicate.
President Ramaphosa confirmed to me that M23 did not kill the soldiers from South Africa, FARDC did.
If South Africa wants to contribute to peaceful solutions, that is well and good, but South Africa is in no position to take on the role of a peacemaker or mediator. And if South Africa prefers confrontation, Rwanda will deal with the matter in that context any day.
Watch as Kagame spits fire before fellow presidents from East Africa, blasting DRC leader Tshisekedi and South Africa’s Ramaphosa Here.
YOU WILL DESTROY YOURSELF! Kagame Warns DRC’s Tshisekedi over Threats to Attack Rwanda
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