International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola has cautioned that the ongoing armed conflicts between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) could turn into a full-blown war.
Lamola told journalists at the Cabinet Lekgotla on Wednesday that they were concerned about a possible regional war.
At least 13 SA National Defence Force (SANDF) troops died during a fight with M23 rebels in the DRC, the defence force confirmed.
“Indeed, we are concerned that danger exists or a possibility exists of a full-blown regional war. It is for that reason that all the institutions of the AU and SADC, including the East Africa community, have made all of them have a resolution of a tripartite engagement, of all these institutions,” he said.
Lamola stressed that immediate intervention was needed to stabilise the situation in the DRC.
“As we speak now, forces are already coming from various groups and angles, so you do need an intervention that is at the AU level, East Africa level, and also at the SADC level to reach a process of ceasefire but also a long-term solution,” he stated.
On Wednesday, Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga said President Cyril Ramaphosa warned Rwanda that shooting at South African soldiers would be considered war.
In response, Rwandan President Paul Kagame accused officials of lying to citizens, saying “Ramaphosa has never given a "warning" of any kind, unless it was delivered in his local language which I do not understand.”
“He did ask for support to ensure the South African force has adequate electricity, food and water, which we shall help communicate,” said Kagame.
The two statesmen had a meeting on Monday to discuss the situation in the region.
Taking to social media after the release of the tweets and statements by the South African government, Kagame called out his counterpart, fuelling speculation that relations between the two governments had taken a nosedive.
“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,” he wrote on X.
In his statement, Ramaphosa said the fighting was 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).
This was not something Kagame took lightly and he also set a few clarifications for the record.
“The Rwanda Defence Force is an army, not a militia. SAMIDRC is not a peacekeeping force, and it has no place in this situation.
"It was authorised by SADC as a belligerent force engaging in offensive combat operations to help the DRC Government fight against its own people,” he said.
According to Kagame, SAMIDRC displaced a true peacekeeping force and this contributed to the failure of the negotiation processes.
Responding to Ramaphosa’s comments on war, Kagame said “If South Africa prefers confrontation, Rwanda will deal with the matter in that context any day.”
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