Rwanda: Kagame Blasts Ramaphosa As Dishonest, Dares South Africa to Military Confrontation

Rwanda’s Paul Kagame has responded to Cyril Ramaphosa in a terse statement in which he called his South African counterpart dishonest and dared him to a military confrontation…

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has fired back at his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa, accusing him of dishonesty and warning that if the Rainbow Nation prefers confrontation, “Rwanda will deal with the matter in that context any day”.

The verbal spat between the two African leaders has been over escalating tensions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo).

In a strongly worded statement responding directly to Ramaphosa’s official X account, Kagame accused the South African and his officials of distorting private conversations about the situation in Eastern DR Congo.

“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,” Kagame said.

Mr Ramaphosa, in his statement, referred to the Rwandan Defence Force (RDF) as a “militia”. Mr Kagame appeared to take serious exception and unloaded on South African military forces and their operations.

He said the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) intervention in DR Congo through the SAMIDRC mission was merely a hostile force engaged in offensive combat rather than peacekeeping.

“It (SAMIDRC) was authorised by SADC as a belligerent force engaging in offensive combat operations to help the DR Congo 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,” he said.

The Rwandan leader dismissed Ramaphosa’s claim that he had issued a warning to Rwanda, joking that if his counterpart had done so, then it must have been in his local language which he (Kagame) does not understand.

“There was no warning. Instead, President Ramaphosa requested my assistance to ensure his troops had access to essential supplies like electricity, food, and water,” Kagame said.

He alleged that Ramaphosa had privately admitted that South African troops killed in DR Congo were not attacked by the M23 rebel group but by the Congolese military, FARDC.

Ramaphosa had earlier accused Rwanda of supporting M23 rebels in attacking peacekeepers and engaging Congolese forces.

“We cannot tolerate a situation where militia groups are propped up to destabilize another country,” Ramaphosa said.

He described the RDF as a militia operating beyond Rwanda’s borders. His comments came after 13 South African soldiers serving under the SADC mission were killed in combat.

Ramaphosa said South Africa’s military presence in DR Congo was a commitment to peace and regional stability.

“Our forces are there to restore order, not to engage in aggression,” he said. “We stand against any foreign-backed militias threatening the sovereignty of DR Congo.”

Kagame welcomed South Africa’s interest in peacekeeping, saying their contribution would be valued but insisted South Africa was in no position to take on the role of a peacemaker or mediator.

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The conflict has drawn international concern, with the United Nations Security Council recently convening to address the crisis.

The M23 group on Monday captured Goma, the capital of North Kivu, to shock the world and send UN peacekeepers and suspected mineral mercenaries scampering for safety.

The offensive has heightened tension in DR Congo with regional leaders attempting to find a truce. On Wednesday, a meeting called by Kenyan President William Ruto could only take place via video conference after DR Congo leader Felix Tshisekedi’s snub.

However, the resolution of the meeting that was attended by both President Museveni and Kagame was not immediately available to the media.

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