The Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) M23 rebel leader, Corneille Nangaa, has denied accusations that Rwanda is backing them.
This comes as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) heads of state and government extraordinary meeting takes place in Harare Zimbabwe today, where the conflict in eastern DRC will top the agenda.
It is not clear whether the central African country’s President Félix Tshisekedi will attend.
President Cyril Ramaphosa will lead the South African delegation to the gathering.
Nangaa says, “When you say Rwanda is supporting you, this is one of the Kinshasa propaganda to hide the bad governance they have been doing so far. When you look at Monusco (United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo) contingencies, you have about 10 or even citizens they are all in Congo, and they are saying that we are Rwandan just because some of us speak the same language. We are Congolese. What do those people want in Congo? The reason is because there is a failed state.”
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SANDF’s families
Families and friends of the SANDF members who are in the town of Goma in northern DRC have expressed concern over the safety of their loved ones.
This comes as the M23 rebels take control of Goma.
A friend of a soldier in the DRC says he last spoke to him on Thursday last week,
“The last time we talked yesterday. He said he depends on our prayers and mercy from our government to release them because the situation there is very bad, those are the words he spoke to me yesterday.”
Meanwhile, a Kimberley family that has lost a loved one in the fighting currently underway in the eastern DRC says it is not happy with the way the South African government is handling the matter.
The family of Pieter Strydom says it fears that his remains may not be repatriated to SA.
The Stydrom family has lamented a lack of empathy from the SANDF saying there is no clear communication on when or if the remains of deceased soldiers will be repatriated.
Strydom’s father, who is also Pieter, says they are devastated.
He says, “It’s painful to know that my son is still in Goma. He’s dead, passed away and there is no clarity on when we can expect him back. There is no clarity as to what exactly happened to him at that moment he passed away. That is one thing that is bothering me a lot.”– Additional reporting by Margaret Mothibi.