South Africa slams Rwanda over DRC carnage
Cape Town, South Africa (PANA) – Rwanda has accused South Africa of siding with genocidal forces in the DRC after Pretoria warned that another attack on members of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) would be considered a declaration of war.
Rwanda's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Olivier Nduhungirehe, on Wednesday said “the role of SANDF in the DRC has never been clearer: to side with and protect (DRC) President (Felix) Tshisekedi, his genocidal allies, the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda), his many local militias, and his European mercenaries”.
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday issued a statement in which he accused Rwandan forces of invading the DRC and attacking South African peacekeepers. “Fighting around the DRC city of Goma was due to M23 rebels and the Rwanda Defence Force attacking peacekeepers from the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC)," he said.
Defence Minister Angie Motshekga told a Cape Town press briefing that President Ramaphosa who spoke to Rwandan President Paul Kagame earlier this week warned that “if you are going to fire we will take it as a declaration of war and we have to defend our people”.
The SANDF said it is preparing to send reinforcements to the DRC after 13 South African soldiers were killed over the past week.
-0- PANA CU/MA 30Jan2025
