South African lawmakers on Tuesday, February 4 quizzed their defence minister and defence chief over their military’s association with FDLR, a militia formed by remnants of the masterminds of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, in eastern DR Congo. ALSO READ: Moving in a wrong direction: 22 years after the Pretoria agreement This was during a briefing on the security situation and status of the South Africa National Defence Force (SANDF) in eastern DR Congo by Defence Minister Angie Motshekga and army chief Gen. Rudzani Maphwanya, to the Parliament's Portfolio Committee. WATCH: South African MP Virgill Gericke questions Defence Minister Angie Motshekga on whether #SANDF soldiers in DR #Congo are collaborating with the genocidal #FDLR to protect mines owned by wealthy politicians. pic.twitter.com/bumFopc5NB — The New Times (Rwanda) (@NewTimesRwanda) February 4, 2025 The government of Rwanda has criticized South Africa’s military involvement in eastern DR Congo, accusing Pretoria of fighting on the behalf of Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi while masking economic interests under the guise of peacekeeping. ALSO READ: UN report exposes DR Congo’s continued use of FDLR as proxy South Africa has over 1,500 troops in DR Congo under the SADC mission, fighting alongside the Congolese army (FARDC) coalition that also comprises Burundian forces, and militia groups such as the genocidal forces, FDLR, and Congolese Wazalendo militia, all against AFC/M23 rebels. ALSO READ: Kagame: Support for FDLR, collabo with mercenaries can’t be business as usual MP Mabel Rweqana said that they are made to believe that South African troops are in DR Congo for a peacekeeping mission, yet they died while engaging the enemy. https://x.com/NewTimesRwanda/status/1886765706257043573 Reports indicate that up to 14 South African soldiers have been killed in DR Congo’s North Kivu Province while battling AFC/M23 rebels who captured the strategic city of Goma on January 27. ALSO READ: Rwanda calls for neutralisation of FDLR, withdrawal of foreign troops Lawmakers asked the foreign minister and SANDF Chief when their forces in DR Congo would be repatriated and how long the mission was set for –questions they failed to answer. MP Virgill Gericke said that South Africa cannot hide under SADC as an organization because countries are not forced to participate in a mission. Gericke said: “South Africa has a free word to say no, we will not participate.” ALSO READ: A call for understanding of the war in DR Congo “Are South African soldiers fighting alongside the FDLR in order to reach the objectives? Many of the soldiers of this FDLR were reportedly involved in the [1994 Genocide against Tutsi] in Rwanda. If our soldiers are fighting alongside those forces, why is South Africa going rogue and why are we so determined to fight and achieve the objective to protect the minerals of the wealthy, the politically exposed of South Africa, and all other connected people?” he asked. ALSO READ: SADC’s betrayal: Fighting alongside FDLR and mercenaries In an interview with CNN, on February 3, President Paul Kagame said that the situation in eastern DR Congo, where the FDLR works alongside the Congolese army (FARDC) and other armed groups, cannot be treated as business as usual. Kagame said: “They cannot have FDLR in Congo, being armed, being supported by the government of DRC, supported by mercenaries, supported by an army from Burundi, then business continues as usual.” The session in the South African parliament ended with some questions left unanswered, with the co-chair of the Standing Committee on Defence, MP Knowledge Malusi Nkanyezi Gigaba, noting that they will be taken on in a closed session at a later date. ALSO READ: Thabo Mbeki: Implementing Sun City Agreement, disarming FDLR only way to solve DR Congo crisis On Monday, posting on X, formerly Twitter, Rwanda's government spokesperson, Yolande Makolo, said: “South Africans deserve to know the truth. You are not supporting the people of DRC to achieve peace. You are sending your troops to fight President Tshisekedi’s war to kill his own people.” Her post followed a statement by the South African presidency, on February 3, that mourned the deaths of 14 SANDF soldiers killed in eastern DR Congo. Makolo accused South Africa of exploiting DR Congo’s mineral wealth, suggesting that its military presence is driven by business interests rather than humanitarian concerns. “Please tell your people the truth about the personal interests in mining that you have” in DR Congo, she said, adding that “these are the interests for which, sadly, SANDF soldiers are dying.”
