Kagame fires warning shot at Ramaphosa as tensions over DR Congo conflict escalate

Rwanda President Paul Kagame. The Rwandan government has ordered all non-governmental organisations (NGOs), faith-based organisations (FBOs) and common-benefit foundations operating in the country to cut ties with the Belgian Government. (Photo: Reuters)

By Mwangi Maina
Thursday, January 30, 2025

His pointed remarks signal that Kigali is unwilling to bow to regional pressure, particularly from South Africa.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has issued a sharp rebuke to his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, in an unusually direct and forceful public exchange, deepening already strained relations between Kigali and Pretoria.

Responding to statements by South African officials regarding the ongoing conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kagame accused Ramaphosa of distorting facts and making deliberate attacks against Rwanda.

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“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 attacks, and even lies,” Kagame posted on X, directly responding to a tweet by Ramaphosa.

“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,” he added.

Kagame dismissed claims that the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) is a militia and criticised South Africa’s military involvement in the DRC under the SADC Mission (SAMIDRC), arguing that it displaced a legitimate peacekeeping effort led by the East African Community (EAC).

“The Rwanda Defence Force is an army, not a militia,” Kagame stated, countering Ramaphosa’s earlier remarks that suggested RDF forces were responsible for the deaths of South African soldiers in eastern Congo.

Ready to respond

The Rwandan leader’s response comes after South Africa strongly condemned the M23 rebel offensive in eastern DRC, which Pretoria claims is backed by Kigali. However, Kagame dismissed these allegations and warned that Rwanda is ready to respond if South Africa chooses confrontation over diplomacy.

“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,” Kagame declared.

His pointed remarks signal that Kigali is unwilling to bow to regional pressure, particularly from South Africa, which has deployed troops in support of Congolese forces in the resource-rich region.

This latest exchange marks a significant escalation in tensions between the two countries, whose diplomatic relations have been fragile for years.

Strains between Kigali and Pretoria date back to the 2013 assassination of former Rwandan intelligence chief Patrick Karegeya in Johannesburg, an incident that led to diplomatic fallout.

With Kagame openly challenging Ramaphosa’s position, the standoff between Rwanda and South Africa risks escalating further, potentially leading to a deeper diplomatic or even military crisis.

The coming days will be critical in determining whether efforts to defuse tensions will emerge or if the region is on the brink of greater instability.