South Africa, Rwanda leaders clash over deadly Congo fighting
A heated exchange has erupted between South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Rwandan President Paul Kagame over the ongoing violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The dispute follows the deaths of 13 South African soldiers in clashes involving Rwandan-backed forces, further straining already fragile diplomatic relations.
The conflict in eastern DRC has been ongoing for years, but tensions rose when Rwandan troops, alongside M23 rebels, reportedly entered the city of Goma.
UN officials estimate that around 4,000 Rwandan soldiers were involved in escorting the rebels. Heavy fighting has already displaced hundreds of thousands of people, and fears are growing that the violence could spread to other cities like Bukavu, which has a population of over a million.
Ramaphosa, in a tweet, directly blamed Rwanda for the deaths of the South African troops, who were part of a regional force deployed by the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
He called for an immediate end to hostilities, urging foreign forces to withdraw from Congolese territory and demanding that peace talks resume.
Kagame, in a sharp response, accused Ramaphosa of spreading lies about the conflict.
He dismissed South Africa’s role as a peace mediator, claiming that the SADC mission was not a peacekeeping force but a combat unit supporting the Congolese army against its own people. He warned that if South Africa sought confrontation, Rwanda was prepared to respond.
With tensions between South Africa and Rwanda rising, there are concerns that the crisis could become even worse.
