- South Africa and Rwanda have renewed their rivalry in the Southern African region, particularly with the crisis rocking the Democratic Republic of Congo
- The situation escalated when President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa accused the M23 rebel group backed by Rwanda of killing his country’s peacekeepers in DR Congo
- South Africa then took some diplomatic salvo, saying further attacks on its troops would be seen as a “declaration of war”
South Africa and Rwanda’s diplomatic relations have gone sour recently. The fraught situation worsened after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa accused the M23 rebel group backed by Rwanda of killing his country’s peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The M23 rebel group were said to have gained ground on the battlefield after they captured most of Goma, the biggest city in the eastern part. South Africa then took some diplomatic salvo, saying further attacks on its troops would be seen as a “declaration of war”.
Photo Credit: @CyrilRamaphosa, @PaulKagame
Source: Twitter
Rwanda fired back at South Africa
According to the BBC, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda responded by accusing South Africa of aiding a “belligerent force” set out for an offensive operation to support the Congolese government to fight its people.
No less than 13 South African soldiers have been reportedly killed in the crisis since last week. This happened after the rebels made a significant advance toward Goma, a major business hub on the border of Rwanda.
Seven South Africans were reportedly killed last year in eastern DR Congo, which was one of the country’s deadliest combat-related developments in recent times.
South Africa-Rwanda relationship
The relationship between the two Southern African countries has long been a difficult one.
Legit.ng recalled that South Africa expelled three diplomats from Rwanda following an attack on the residence of a Rwandan dissident in Johannesburg.
Reacting to the move, Kagame’s government also expelled six envoys from South Africa.
The tension appeared to be bounced when Ramaphosa visited Rwanda last year in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Rwanda Genocide, in which about 800,000 people were reportedly killed.
How South Africa, Rwanda’s rift escalated
Unfortunately, the situation flared after the killing of two South Africans deployed to the eastern DR Congo in December 2023. The South Africans were said to be on a regional peace-keeping force deployed by the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The force was dominated by South African soldiers. They were known by the acronym SAMIDRC. Their mission was to repel armed groups such as the M23 and to restore peace in the mineral-rich DR Congo after decades of unrest.
See the latest comment from President Kagame here:
African presidents who are 70 and above
Legit.ng earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu has been discovered to be one of the oldest presidents in Africa at the moment.
This is because the continent produced the youngest president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the president of Senegal, who was sworn in on Tuesday, April 2.
There are other countries in Africa whose presidents are in their fifties and sixties. Still, the superpowers in the continents appear to be led by the people of the older generations, including Nigeria.
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Source: Legit.ng
