Ramaphosa’s double standards on DRC’s crisis

Despite previously advocating for dialogue as the right path to a solution to the conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), during his press conference in Kinshasa on July 6,2023, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa changed course.  He backed Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi who has invested heavily in war over peace.

“We shared our common view on the resolution of conflicts not only on our continent but globally as well. We agreed that the best way that is tried and tested of resolving conflicts is still dialogue, through when people sit down and are able to find ways of negotiating,” Ramaphosa stated.

Ramaphosa recalled that different initiatives by regional blocs, and the Africa Union, agreed on dialogue and negotiations between concerned parties as the suitable way of halting insecurity in DRC, mainly in its eastern part where more than 260 armed groups have found a safe haven.

Despite Ramaphosa's emphasis on dialogue as the preferred way for conflict resolution, he has shifted his stance and begun supporting military interventions. He has dispatched thousands of South African National Defense Force (SANDF) troops to the DRC to fight the M23 rebels, aligning with Tshisekedi's agenda.

"We are not an island, we are in a community of a number of sister countries and when one sister country faces challenges, such as security, the community takes a decision and we are expected to deploy and come to the aid of that country," Ramaphosa said on February 15.

Ramaphosa authorized the deployment of 2,900 more soldiers to the country to help the Congolese army, FARDC, hoping to finish off the M23 rebel group which is fighting to protect the rights of Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese citizens who are persecuted by their own government.

The South African forces, as part of SADC troops, have been backing inhumane activities targeting Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese being carried out by the Congolese army coalition of Burundian troops, Eastern European mercenaries, Wazalendo militia, and FDLR, a Rwandan terrorist group formed by remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

Ramaphosa's shift from advocating for political dialogue to supporting military approach by Kinshasa risks further destabilizing the vast mineral rich country, and the entire region. It is concerning, given that a similar military approach, endorsed by SADC a decade ago, failed to yield a solution.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) Member of Parliament, and shadow Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, MP Kobus Marais, termed the deployment of South African troops in DRC reckless, and called on Ramaphosa to reverse the decision.

The Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese, especially Congolese Tutsi, are being targeted and killed by the Congolese army coalition and armed militia while the world is watching idly. The M23 rebels have vowed to fight until they are recognized and given their rights as other Congolese citizens.

Ramaphosa previously encouraged Kinshasa to employ negotiation with M23 and address the underlying causes of insecurity. For his economic interests, however, he changed his position and embraced the path of increasing violence, disregarding the suffering of the Congolese people.