JOHANNESBURG - Tensions are escalating between President Cyril Ramaphosa and Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, with the latter accusing Ramaphosa of spreading lies.
This war of words follows the death of 13 South African soldiers during an assault on Goma by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels.
President Ramaphosa said, in a statement that, the fighting is 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).
Fellow South Africans,
Following the recent intensification of fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Africa has lost 13 brave soldiers who were dedicated to their mission and committed to peace. The fighting is the result of an escalation by the rebel…— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) January 29, 2025
Read more about the history of this conflict and the M23 group in the following fact sheet:
The Great Lakes region was destabilised by the Rwanda genocide in 1994. Hutu extremists killed up to 800,000, mainly Tutsi, people in Rwanda. A Tutsi counteroffensive regained control of the country, which led to two-million Hutus fleeing to the DRC. Tutsi-rebel groups in the DRC, supported by the Rwandan government, then in turn targeted these refugees.
The Rwandan government was involved in both the First and Second Congo Wars from 1996-2003, backing various Tutsi-led factions in eastern DRC. The UN has accused the Rwandans of committing widespread human rights violations and atrocities in the Congo during this time.
Following decades of conflict Tutsi rebel groups in the DRC signed a peace accord on 23 March 2009 to become a political party and for their fighters to be integrated into the army.
M23 formed in 2012 when Tutsi soldiers broke away from the Congolese Army saying promises made to them in the 2009 agreement had not been kept.
In an offensive in 2012 M23 took Goma from the DRC government with widespread reports of mass killings, sexual assaults and kidnappings.
The DRC government, assisted by a UN Force Intervention Brigade (Monusco) which included a South African contingent, regained control of the area from M23, with another peace agreement signed in December 2013.
M23 resumed the insurgency in 2017, made some gains in 2022 and recaptured Goma and the surrounding area in a new offensive in early 2025 which resulted in the deaths of several UN peacekeepers, including 13 South Africans. The renewed fighting has also caused mass displacement of civilians fleeing the conflict zone amid the usual claims of atrocities being committed.
Much of the M23 and their Rwandan backers’ motivation is said to come from wanting to control the area’s mineral resources. The conflict area of North and South Kivu provinces is rich in minerals including gold, diamonds and various industrial minerals including tin and coltan, used in the production of batteries.