President Kagame says President Ramaphosa distorted and lied about what they discussed.
President Paul Kagame has come out to clarify the conversation he had with President Cyril Ramaphosa on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), accusing the South African leader of distorting and lying about the issues they discussed, which were also misreported by the press.
The Head of State had a couple of phones call with his South African counterpart on Monday and on Wednesday to discuss the escalating tensions, in which South African soldiers, under the SAMIRDC, fighting alongside DRC government forces FARDC and Wazalendo/FDLR, against M23, were killed.
However, a statement shared by the South African leader, prompted President Kagame to take to the platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to clarify what was said by Ramaphosa and South Africa press, pointing out the distortions and 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 attacks, and even lies,” President Kagame said.
“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, among other things, that the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), Rwanda’s national army is not a militia, as Ramaphosa suggested in his statement.
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
— Paul Kagame (@PaulKagame) January 29, 2025
President Kagame said that the Southern African Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC) is not a peacekeeping force, as President Ramaphosa suggested, adding that the force, which replaced an East African Community (EAC), mandated force, has no place in this situation.
“It was authorized by 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.”
“SAMIDRC displaced a true peacekeeping force, the East African Community Regional Force, and this contributed to the failure of the negotiation processes,” President Kagame said.
President Kagame also said that President Ramaphosa has never given a “warning” of any kind to him, unless it was delivered in his local language which he do not understand, adding however that the South African leader did ask him for support to ensure the South African force has adequate electricity, food and water, which he said Rwanda shall help communicate.
“President Ramaphosa confirmed to me that M23 did not kill the soldiers from South Africa, FARDC did,” President Kagame said, adding that if South Africa wants to contribute to peaceful solutions, is 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,” President Kagame said.
