According to Mail & Guardian, Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame issued a strong warning to South Africa, accusing President Cyril Ramaphosa and his government of distorting facts about the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). His statement came after 13 South African soldiers were killed while deployed as part of the Southern African Development Community Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC), intensifying scrutiny on Pretoria’s military involvement. South African officials have blamed the violence on the M23 rebel group and the Rwandan Defence Force, while Rwanda dismisses SAMIDRC as a “belligerent force” supporting the Congolese government and working alongside the FDLR, a militia linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Kagame contradicted Ramaphosa’s statements, claiming South Africa had requested Rwanda’s logistical help rather than issuing any warnings. He asserted that if South Africa sought peace, Rwanda welcomed it, but if it preferred confrontation, Rwanda was prepared to respond. Meanwhile, Ramaphosa defended South Africa’s role in the DRC as part of a regional peacekeeping effort, calling for all parties to respect existing peace agreements and the DRC’s territorial integrity.
Poll Question: How should South Africa respond to Rwanda’s accusations about its role in the DRC conflict?
