Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Olivier Nduhungirehe had a call with his South African counterpart Ronald Lamola on Thursday, January 30, to discuss the crisis in eastern DR Congo, where the M23 rebels advanced this week, capturing the strategic city of Goma. Nduhungirehe and Lamola’s discussion came during a diplomatic crisis that emerged after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has troops in DR Congo, accused Rwanda of supporting the rebels in a Wednesday statement that prompted a strong response from President Paul Kagame. ALSO READ: Kagame debunks Ramaphosa’s claims on DR Congo crisis Kagame, who had held two calls with Ramaphosa, since the M23 rebels took control of Goma on Monday, said the South African leader’s statement contained “distortion, deliberate attacks and even lies,” about their conversations about the crisis in eastern DR Congo. The two foreign ministers had a “good and constructive conversation,” according to Nduhungirehe. “Rwanda remains committed to peace and stability in Eastern DRC,” said Nduhungirehe, adding that he was “looking forward to working with South Africa towards common aspirations in our region and in the whole continent.” Lamola said, “We committed to advancing dialogue on eastern DRC and agreed to pursue the spirit of the ceasefire agreement.” ALSO READ: Kabarebe dismisses South Africa General's claims on origins of DR Congo crisis South Africa, which leads a Southern African Development Community mission in DR Congo (SAMIDRC), lost 13 soldiers in the recent escalation. Following the losses, Ramaphosa and members of his government sought to portray the SAMIDRC forces as “peacekeepers,” and not a belligerent in the conflict. Rwanda has on various occasions expressed its concern about the involvement of the SAMIDRC in a Congolese government coalition, which also includes the FDLR, a UN-sanctioned group founded by perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Rwanda also said by fighting alongside the Congolese armed forces near the Rwandan border, the SAMIDRC forces joined an army of a country whose president has announced his intention for regime change in Rwanda. ‘SA not in DR Congo to pursue peace’ The South African president faced criticism for the death of the soldiers in DR Congo, with opposition politicians calling for the withdrawal of the South African contingent. Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party said on Friday Ramaphosa had sent South African soldiers in “a conflict we do not understand” and “to fight rebels who are more equipped than us.” Malema said the humiliation in eastern DR Congo and the diplomatic rift with Rwanda were “because our role of peace in the DRC is questionable.” “There is no peace that has ever been achieved through the deployment of soldiers. The South African Defence Force is not in DRC to pursue peace. But we are participating in the decade-old conflict to secure mineral interests of the capital elite in the Congo.” Malema called for the withdrawal of the South African soldiers “because the motivations to send our forces to the DRC are dishonest.” “Not a peacekeeping force’ South African defence analyst Helmoed Heitman took issue with the attempt to paint the SAMIDRC as peacekeepers in DR Congo. “The key problem there is a misapprehension on the part of at least some of the people in our government that the SADC force and our force with it were there on a peacekeeping mission,” Heitman told South African broadcaster on Wednesday. “If you look at the mandate, it says they are there to support the DRC government in neutralizing armed groups, i.e. groups like the M23. If you're going to neutralize them, you're not peacekeeping, you're now part of the fighting.”
