Economic Freedom Fighters' (EFF) Dr Mbuyiseni Ndlozi has called on South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa and Rwandan President Paul Kagame to stop tensions and prioritise peaceful resolution amid growing conflicts in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter) Ndlozi stressed the potential horrors of the war, chilling comparisons to the Second Congo War that left over 5 million people dead.
“There is absolutely no need for a violent confrontation between South Africa and Rwanda,” he wrote.
”We DO NOT need another version of the second Congo War (a.k.a Great War of Africa) which saw over 5 million casualties. The deadliest conflict since WWII.”
Ndlozi urged the African leaders to come together and do everything in their power to resolve the eastern DRC problem peacefully.
“Anyone who loves Africa will advocate for nothing less!” he said.
His remarks followed the heightened in the DRC’s eastern region, where the M23 rebels groups, allegedly backed by the Rwamda, had seized significant territories.
The conflict had led to the deaths of 13 SA National Defence Force (SANDF) troops, part of the regional peacekeeping force composed of militaries from South Africa, Malawi, and Tanzania.
On Wednesday, IOL reported that Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga stated that Ramaphosa warned Rwanda that continuing hostilities against SANDF members would be taken as a declaration of war.
Rwanda denied supporting the M23 rebels, and Kagame has been vocal in countering accusations.
In a widely circulated video shared by the Presidency in Rwanda, Kagame expressed frustration, claiming that Ramaphosa was acting as a peacemaker while South Africa’s military was fighting alongside FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda), a militia opposed to the M.23.
“He (Ramaphosa) has been fighting the M23 on the instruction of Tshisekedi (Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi) because these are people who are not supposed to be in Congo, that are from Rwanda … M23 are not Rwandans, please, these are Congolese,” said a seemingly irritated Kagame.
He commented on fellow leaders at an Extraordinary Summit of East African Community (EAC) heads of State on Wednesday that he has had two telephonic conversations with President Ramaphosa in recent days.
Kagame further claimed that the M23 rebels groups are not Rwandans but Congolese.
Kagame’s remarks escalated to X (formerly known as Twitter), when he responded to Ramaphosa, accusing him of distorting facts.
He issued a statement: “If South Africa wants to contribute to peaceful solutions, that is well and good, but South Africa is in no position to take on the role of a peacemaker or mediator.”
Kagame added: “And if South Africa prefers confrontation, Rwanda will deal with the matter in that context any day.”
Ndlozi’s calls come as the international community monitors the situation, reiterating his plea to the leaders to cease war topics and prioritise diplomacy as conflict intensifies in the DRC.
“We must call on Presidents Ramaphosa and Kagame to stop the War Talk: do everything in their power to peacefully resolve whatever differences!” Ndlozi said
He argued that the war would never give Africans any benefit, but only for those who control their mineral extraction, benefiting their economies capable of industrialising resources.
“Only Western, maybe even Eastern imperialists profit out of war - they own the means of producing weapons, ammunition, and all relevant war equipment and gear,” Ndlozi said.
Additionally, he said: “South Africa must keep the conversation on the terms of its mandate under international law - it is part of a PEACEKEEPING mission.”
Ndlozi reaffirmed South Africa’s role as a peacekeeping force.
“If its standing as a peacekeeping force has been compromised, then it MUST admit and retreat. Peace, nothing else, but peace, is the central objective and most derivable outcome.”
“Stop the WAR TALK NOW! Africa needs to be at peace with itself, PERIOD! War mongering is futile and ill informed!,” Ndlozi stressed.
IOL Politics