Rwanda-South Africa Tensions Escalate Over DRC Conflict: Minister Nduhungirehe Speaks Out on M23, FDLR, and Regional Security

He reiterated this in an interview on South African National Television on Thursday.

The interview, hosted by journalist Clement Manyathela, focused on the talks between President Paul Kagame and his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa on the insecurity in eastern Congo. Minister Nduhungirehe said that the talks between the heads of state began with hopes of a solution to the problems but were later interpreted differently.

 He said, "First, they spoke on the phone, they had discussions to provide solutions to this issue, they agreed to a ceasefire in the region, and to talk to the M23 movement and the Congolese government. Yesterday, they had a second phone conversation where they discussed what was happening; where President Ramaphosa revealed that Congolese soldiers had killed South African soldiers, and then he asked President Kagame to use his capabilities to provide the South African soldiers with water, food, and electricity. Then we were surprised by what we saw in the media, what the South African Minister of Defense said, and what President Ramaphosa wrote on X, calling the Rwandan army a gang of armed criminals. It is not the army, the words of their conversation were changed to the point of saying that President Ramaphosa warned President Kagame, and that did not happen."

Minister Nduhungirehe expressed his incomprehensibility for the South African army to join the FDLR terrorist group, a group led by the Genocide Victims who destroyed Rwanda 30 years ago.

Minister Nduhungirehe stressed that Rwanda is ready to confront anyone who would escalate the war.

He said, "We share a border with the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The South African army is on our border, and there are no Rwandan troops on the South African border. So we have no reason to attack South Africa, but we are ready to defend ourselves whenever we are attacked by all of them, including the South African army." Journalist Clement said, "If the Rwandan army is in Mozambique, and the South African army is also in Congo, does it matter?"

Minister Nduhungirehe said, "The difference is that the South African troops in the Democratic Republic of Congo were called in by a President who wants to overthrow the leadership of a neighboring country. This is the difference. They have activities that threaten our government, unlike us fighting terrorists in Cabo Del Gabo."

South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola wrote on his X wall: “I spoke with Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe. We are committed to having productive talks on Eastern Congo and to participating in the peace agreement, as the heads of state in the SADC and East African Community want peace.”

Minister Nduhungirehe also announced that he had a conversation with Minister Ronald Lamola, in which he said, “You have done a good job, brother, in the constructive discussions we had this evening. Rwanda remains committed to restoring peace and security in Eastern Congo. We are ready to work with South Africa to find a common ground for developing the region and the continent.”

Great Lakes Region Political Analyst Andrew Mwenda says that everything happening in Eastern Congo is due to the destructive policies of the country's president. Analysts of events in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo believe that political will is the key to resolving emerging problems by addressing the root causes rather than resorting to war.

Source: RBA