Rwandan President Paul Kagame declared on Thursday that South African troops had no role in the ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and warned that Rwanda was prepared to "deal" with any confrontation from Pretoria.
The remarks come after 13 South African soldiers were killed in the past week as Rwanda-backed M23 fighters gained ground, including the capture of the strategic city of Goma. The South African troops were part of both the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) and the Southern African Development Community’s Mission in DRC (SAMIDRC).
In a post on X, Kagame criticized SAMIDRC, stating, "It is not a peacekeeping force, and it has no place in this situation." He further accused the force of being a "belligerent" group, engaged in combat operations to assist the DRC government while working with armed groups like FDLR, which targets Rwanda.
Rwanda has long maintained that its main objective in eastern DRC is to eliminate the FDLR, a militia formed from the remnants of the forces responsible for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
Kagame also confirmed that he held talks with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa following the deaths of the soldiers but denied media reports suggesting that South Africa had issued a warning, calling future clashes a "declaration of war."
However, Kagame made it clear: "If South Africa prefers confrontation, Rwanda will deal with the matter in that context any day." The situation between the two countries continues to escalate, with the conflict in the DRC adding a complex layer to regional tensions.