By McGeorge Mbare
Rwandan President Paul Kagame has sparked a diplomatic row after issuing a strong response to South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa after the latter issued a warning to President Kagame in relation to attacks against South African Defence Force members deployed in the Eastern Part of the DRC.
The Rwandan President Kagame issued a bold statement in his response claiming that South Africa is in no position to take on role of a peacemaker or mediator in DR Congo.
“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,” President Kagame stated.
Meanwhile, the Rwandan President Kagame also highlighted that President Ramaphosa told him that the M23 did not kill South African soldiers but FARDC did.
“President Ramaphosa confirmed to me that M23 did not kill the soldiers from South Africa, FARDC did,” President Kagame stated.
These intense responses from President Kagame are coming after President Ramaphosa made a bold threats painted the Rwandan army as a militia.
“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),” President Ramaphosa ‘s statement reads.
The eastern DR Congo conflicts has brought huge misunderstanding within the two leaders who are vying to bring peace and stability in the Goma region. SADC is convening an extraordinary meeting to try and find a solution to the DRC situation.