Rwandan President Paul Kagame has expressed dismay over a claim by Cyril Ramaphosa, his South African counterpart, who said 13 soldiers from his country were killed by the Rwanda Defence Army (RDF) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ramaphosa alleged that M23, a rebel group, and the RDF whom he called a “militia”, attacked the armed forces of the DRC and peacekeepers in the Central African country, causing the death of the soldiers.
“South Africa’s military presence in the eastern DRC is not a declaration of war against any country or state,” he said.
“The territorial integrity of the DRC must be respected in accordance with the United Nations Charter on the respect of sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of other states.”
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Fellow South Africans,
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…
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) January 29, 2025
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The recent conflict in the DRC has led to the deaths and displacement of many people after the M23 rebels, thought to be backed by Rwanda, seized the city of Goma.
The rebel group has accused the Congo government of not honouring past peace agreements.
In response to Ramaphosa, Kagame in a post on X said the South African president’s claims are “lies”.
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
Advertisement— Paul Kagame (@PaulKagame) January 29, 2025
“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,” he said.
“President Ramaphosa has never given a ‘warning’ of any kind, unless it was delivered in his local language which I do not understand.
“He did ask for support to ensure the South African force has adequate electricity, food and water, which we shall help communicate. President Ramaphosa confirmed to me that M23 did not kill the soldiers from South Africa, FARDC did.”
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The Rwandan president said South Africa is welcome to contribute to peaceful solutions in the region, but it “is in no position to take on the role of a peacemaker or mediator”.
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