Rwanda ready for confrontation, Kagame warns South Africa’s Ramaphosa

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has issued a warning to South Africa, saying that Rwanda is prepared for a confrontation if necessary following ongoing tensions regarding the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

This comes after South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa, claimed that M23 rebels and the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) were responsible for the deaths of 13 South African soldiers in the DRC.

Kagame, in a post on his official ‘X’ page, refuted these claims, alleging that there had been significant distortion and misrepresentation of the discussions between him and President Ramaphosa.

He explained that what had been stated publicly by South African officials and Ramaphosa was not consistent with what had been discussed in private conversations.

According to Kagame, the media portrayal of these conversations was “distorted, 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,” Kagame said.

The Rwandan president provided several key clarifications regarding the situation in the DRC. He emphasised that the Rwanda Defence Force is an official army, not a militia, rejecting any attempts to portray it as such.

He further clarified that the South African Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC) is not a peacekeeping force but rather a belligerent entity authorised by the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

This force, Kagame argued, was engaged in offensive combat operations in support of the DRC government, including collaboration with groups such as the FDLR, which have a history of targeting Rwanda.

Kagame also noted that SAMIDRC had displaced the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF), which was a genuine peacekeeping force in the region. This, he claimed, contributed to the failure of peace negotiations in the DRC.

Addressing the allegations surrounding the death of the South African soldiers, Kagame stated that Ramaphosa had confirmed to him that M23 rebels were not responsible for the fatalities. Instead, it was the DRC’s armed forces, the FARDC, that were to blame.

Contrary to media reports suggesting a direct warning from Ramaphosa to Rwanda, Kagame clarified that no such warning was issued.

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The only request made by the South African president, according to Kagame, was for support to ensure that South African forces had access to necessities such as electricity, food, and water.

Kagame also made it clear that while South Africa may want to contribute to peace efforts in the region, it is not in a position to act as a mediator.

He stated, “If South Africa prefers confrontation, Rwanda will deal with the matter in that context any day.”