Paul Kagame insists SADC armies, including SANDF, have no place in DRC war and not a peacekeeping force

As the tension between South Africa and Rwanda escalated to an unprecedented level, Rwandan President Paul Kagame has hit back at President Cyril Ramaphosa on social media platform X.

In what Kagame described as “important clarifications for the record”, the Rwandan strongman questions the presence of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC), a regional peacekeeping mission which comprises of South African, Tanzanian, and Malawian armed forces in the vast nation situated in Central Africa but is a member of SADC.

“SAMIDRC is not a peacekeeping force, and it has no place in this situation. It was authorized by Southern African Development Community (SADC) as a belligerent force engaging in offensive combat operations to help the DRC 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,” said Kagame in a strongly worded public response to Ramaphosa.

“SAMIDRC displaced a true peacekeeping force, the East African Community Regional Force, and this contributed to the failure of the negotiation processes.”

The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) is one of the Hutu ethnic groups, which includes some people who were responsible for the Rwandan genocide and is still active in eastern DR Congo.

The Rwandan government insists that the continued operations of the FDLR in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo threatens Rwanda’s territory.

Earlier on Thursday, IOL reported that what was chilling about Kagame’s 11pm reaction to Ramaphosa on X, was his last paragraph. Kagame responded: “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.

Kagame added: “And if South Africa prefers confrontation, Rwanda will deal with the matter in that context any day.”

In a lengthy message posted on X, Ramaphosa had mourned the killing of 13 “brave” South African 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),” said Ramaphosa.

“On behalf of the government and the people of our country, I express our sincerest condolences to their families, their loved ones and colleagues. We bow our heads in honour of their heroic and gallant fight for peace. We honour and mourn them.”

Ramaphosa also stated that the process to repatriate the remains of the deceased SA National Defence Force members is under way.

“The attacks on peacekeepers resulted in the deaths of SAMIDRC members from other troop contributing countries, namely, Malawi and Tanzania, as well members of the UN Organization Stabilisation Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) brigade. We honour all the lives that were lost and pass our condolences to their families, governments and citizens,” said Ramaphosa.

But it is the reference to the Rwandan Defence Force as a “militia” which got Kagame’s blood boiling.

Kagame said he had two conversations this week with President Ramaphosa on the situation in Eastern DRC, including earlier on Thursday.

jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za

IOL