Rwandan President Paul Kagame has expressed dismay over a claim by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa that 13 South African soldiers were killed by the Rwanda Defence Army (RDF) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Ramaphosa alleged that M23, a rebel group, and the RDF attacked the DRC armed forces and peacekeepers, causing the deaths.
Genesis of the DRC Crisis
The conflict in the DRC has deep historical roots. The M23 rebel group, predominantly Tutsi, emerged in 2012, named after the March 23, 2009, peace agreement between the DRC government and a previous rebel group. Rwanda has been accused of supporting M23, driven by security concerns and ethnic ties.
The DRC’s Kivu region, rich in minerals, has been a focal point of the conflict, with Rwanda aiming to protect ethnic Tutsis and secure regional influence.
Ramaphosa stated, “South Africa’s military presence in the eastern DRC is not a declaration of war against any country or state. The territorial integrity of the DRC must be respected in accordance with the United Nations Charter.“
Kagame responded on X, calling Ramaphosa’s claims “lies.” He said, “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.“
“Cyril Ramaphosa is pretending to be playing a peacemaker role in eastern DRC,” President Paul Kagame says in fiery speech at emergency EAC meeting on Goma crisis.
— Larry Madowo (@LarryMadowo) January 30, 2025
“And South Africa dares even issue threats?" He also called out Felix Tshisekedi, João Lourenço & Uhuru Kenyatta pic.twitter.com/1fGwl1HJ7p
Kagame, himself an ethnic Tutsi added, “President Ramaphosa confirmed to me that M23 did not kill the soldiers from South Africa, FARDC did.” He said that South Africa is welcome to contribute to peaceful solutions but is not in a position to act as a peacemaker or mediator.
The recent conflict in the DRC has led to deaths and displacement, with M23 rebels seizing the city of Goma. The rebel group accuses the Congo government of not honouring past peace agreements
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