Rwandan President Paul Kagame speaks at the 30th anniversary commemoration of the 1994 Rwandan genocide at the BK Arena in Kigali on April 7, 2024. Thirty years after a vicious campaign orchestrated by Hutu extremists, Rwanda paid solemn tribute to the victims of the genocide. The countries were separated as neighbors turned on each other in one of the bloodiest massacres of the 20th century. (Luis Tato/AFP)
- Rwandan President Paul Kagame and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa held a three-hour closed-door meeting in Kigali over the weekend.
- They agreed that a political solution was best for the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where South African soldiers are currently deployed.
- Mr Ramaphosa said there were occasional “wrinkles” in the relationship between SA and Rwanda.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame and President Cyril Ramaphosa have agreed that they would prefer a political solution to the differences between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) rather than military action.
The two leaders held a relatively lengthy closed-door meeting in Kigali on Saturday. This was the first direct dialogue between South Africa and the South African-led SADC force since it was deployed to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Their public statements after the meeting gave some insight into the meeting.
The morning after his meeting with Ramaphosa, in a speech commemorating 30 years since the start of the Rwandan genocide, Mr. Kagame said, “With tribal politics gaining renewed attention and ethnic cleansing being prepared, far too many actors are from Africa.'' “We are directly involved, including those involved.” And I practiced.”
“What has happened to us? Is this the Africa we want to live in? Is this the kind of world we want?”
Rwanda has accused the Democratic Republic of Congo of supporting Hutu elements opposed to Kagame's government, and says it fears South African troops will effectively be fighting alongside the rebels. .
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Mr. Ramaphosa said that since taking office, he and Mr. Kagame have worked to improve bilateral relations, but that relations between the two countries were not always good.
He said:
It is a relationship that exists, and like the relationship between countries, sometimes it faces difficulties, it gets wrinkled, and those wrinkles get straightened.
Among the “wrinkles” is the need for Rwandans to apply for visas to visit South Africa, and Mr Ramaphosa said he would resolve the issue with Mr Kagame “as soon as possible”. He said that an agreement had been reached, but did not specify the timing.
Ramaphosa added that the two leaders agreed that peace through silence of the guns is needed to resolve the impasse between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda.
“We are both of the opinion that peace is an essential element to fostering development in this part of the continent, and in doing so should end the conflict taking place in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. matched.
“There are numerous forces operating in the region (North Kivu) and we agreed that a peaceful political solution to any military action is the best option.”
He also revealed that he spoke with former President Thabo Mbeki in Kigali about the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo and how to deal with it.
“During our discussions, we all expressed our deep desire for peaceful political solutions to the challenges we face. [in the DRC]. I leave Rwanda with a new and greater intention to find a solution that could lead to a political solution. ”
Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina (second from left), Madagascar's First Lady Miali Rajoelina, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa look on as members of the Rwandan military band carry wreaths during the 1994 30th anniversary commemoration of the Rwandan genocide. Monument in Kigali, April 7, 2024 (Luis Tato/AFP)
Rwandan soldiers and Rwandan police officers of the Rwandan Defense Force (RDF) prepare to board a Rwanda Air plane for a military mission to Mozambique at Kanombe Airport in Kigali, Rwanda. (Simon Wolfert/AFP)
However, despite talk of peace in Kigali, the Democratic Republic of Congo insisted there would be no negotiations in Kinshasa before the M23 rebels left Democratic Republic of the Congo territory.
Rwanda wants SAMIDRC eliminated
South Africa leads the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (SAMIDRC), with Malawi and Tanzania also participating.
They have been fighting in North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since December last year, and Rwanda is frustrated.
Most recently, Mr. Kigali wrote a letter to the United Nations Security Council, recommending that it not provide any logistical or technical support to SAMIDRC, as this could precipitate a regional war.
Rwanda's main concern is that the Democratic Republic of Congo's government is fighting alongside the remnants of the genocide's perpetrators, known by their French name, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
After the 1994 genocide, Kagame's unit, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), seized power and the FDLR relocated to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
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