South African, Rwandan leaders in war of words over DR Congo

Johannesburg — 

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has lashed retired astatine South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa, aft Ramaphosa accused Rwanda of backing the M23 rebels down the escalating situation successful the eastbound Democratic Republic of Congo this week. Kagame has accused Ramaphosa of "lying" and warned of imaginable "confrontation."

South Africa has troops deployed successful the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo arsenic portion of a U.N. peacekeeping ngo there, arsenic good arsenic successful a abstracted deployment by the Southern African Development Community, oregon SADC, aimed astatine backing up Congolese forces warring rebels.

But Pretoria is nether unit this week aft 13 South African soldiers were killed successful a caller surge successful warring that resulted successful the M23 militia – which Rwanda is wide accused of backing – making a accelerated beforehand and seizing partial power of the cardinal metropolis of Goma successful North Kivu state connected Sunday night.

Ramaphosa said successful a written connection connected Wednesday that the M23, and what helium called “a Rwandan Defense Force militia,” were liable for the casualties, portion his curate of defense, Angie Motshekga, went 1 measurement further.

“It’s conscionable that astatine that stage, erstwhile they were firing supra our heads, the president did pass them to say, ‘If you are going to fire, we’ll instrumentality it arsenic a declaration of war.’”

The remarks by Ramaphosa and Motshekga person caused a diplomatic spat with Kigali.

Kagame verbally deed backmost successful an aggravated connection posted to his societal media connected Wednesday night, saying the Rwandan Defense Force was not a militia and quote, “if South Africa prefers confrontation, Rwanda volition woody with the substance successful that discourse immoderate day.”

He besides disputed Ramaphosa’s connection that the dormant South African soldiers were “peacekeepers,” saying the SADC unit was engaged successful “offensive combat operations.”

“I spoke with the president of South Africa, who sought maine retired to talk with me, connected this matter, due to the fact that of their engagement successful eastbound Congo, and he’s besides determination pretending to beryllium playing a peacemaker role. M23 are not Rwandans, please, and South Africa dares adjacent contented threats,” helium said.

South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola has straight blamed Rwanda for backing the M23, saying reports by U.N. experts proved Kigali’s involvement. He said connected Wednesday that South Africa had taken portion successful an African Union gathering connected the crisis.

“As South Africa, we participated successful that level and enactment our presumption across, which is that determination is simply a ceasefire, contiguous cessation of hostilities… and, also, to petition each the forces that are supporting M23, to besides cease each enactment immediately,” helium said.

Mineral-rich eastbound Congo, which borders Rwanda, has been plagued by struggle for much than 3 decades. The existent warring stems partially from the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

The perpetrators fled crossed the borderline to North Kivu, and Rwanda says they present correspond a information menace to its territory.

The Congolese authorities has accused Kigali of being progressive successful eastbound Congo, saying Kigali is aft the area’s immense mineral wealth.