In an unprecedented escalation of tensions between South Africa and Rwanda, President Paul Kagame has responded to President Cyril Ramaphosa, with Kagame accusing his Pretoria counterpart of distorting facts.
However, what was chilling about Kagame’s 11pm reaction to Ramaphosa on X, was his last paragraph. Kagame responded: “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.
Kagame added: “And if South Africa prefers confrontation, Rwanda will deal with the matter in that context any day”.
Earlier, in a long message posted on X, Ramaphosa had mourned the killing of 13 “brave” South African 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),” said Ramaphosa.
“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 honour of their heroic and gallant fight for peace. We honour and mourn them.”
I held two conversations this week with President Ramaphosa on the situation in Eastern DRC, including earlier today. What has been said about these conversations in the media by South African officials and President Ramaphosa himself contains a lot of distortion, deliberate… https://t.co/i78aqtVjpr
— Paul Kagame (@PaulKagame) January 29, 2025
Ramaphosa also stated that the process to repatriate the remains of the deceased SA National Defence Force members 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,” said Ramaphosa.
But it is the reference to the Rwandan Defence Force as a “militia” which got Kagame’s blood boiling.
Kagame said he had two conversations this week with President Ramaphosa on the situation in Eastern DRC, including earlier on Thursday.
“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.
“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 authorised 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,” said Kagame.
IOL