Kagame and Ramaphosa had a feud at the end of January following a disagreement on how to respond to the crisis in Eastern DRC following the M23 capture of city of Goma.
Presidents
Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Cyril Ramphosa of South Africa met for the first time
in Abidjan months after their open quarrel following the escalation of the conflict
in DRC.
The
two leaders sat at the same panel discussion at the ongoing African CEO Forum. Also
on the panel, Mauritanian
President Mohamed Ould Ghazouania, the immediate outgoing chairperson of the
African Union.
Kagame
and Ramaphosa had a feud at the end of January following a disagreement on how
to respond to the crisis in Eastern DRC following the M23 capture of city of
Goma.
The disagreement was over the deployment of the
SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC). The rebels attacked
SAMIDRC position killing some of the South African soldiers.
The M23 attacks on peacekeepers resulted in the
deaths of SAMIDRC members from other troop contributing countries, namely,
Malawi and Tanzania, as well members of the UN Organisation Stabilisation
Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) brigade.
While the South African troops are being withdrawn
from DRC, and while there is a ceasefire between the M23 and DRC, it appears
like there has been bad blood between the Rwandan leader and his South African
counterpart.
President Ramaphosa openly denied that he is
fighting Kagame.
///Cue In “ I mean people…
. Cue out …..as se sit close to each other” ///
Ramaphosa said he and Kagame have been in contact
on phone and other communication.
///Cue In “We have family ……
Cue Out……on our continent ”////
The African CEO forum in Abidjan comes amidst
skepticism about the African Union interventions in addressing the conflicts in
the continent. Some of the major conflicts included one in Sudan, South Sudan,
DRC and generally insurgencies in the Greate Lakes Region and the Horn of
Africa.
Some experts say the ceasefire between M23 and DRC
troops wouldn’t have taken place had the authorities in Qatar not arranged a meeting
between Paul Kagame and Felixi Tishekdi of DRC.
Kagame, in what appeared like diplomatic tone
tried to downplay the role of Qatar and the United States of America to the
ceasefire.
///Cue In “Well I think…..
Cue Out…..we haven’t done”///
“Everyone is trying. Again, it
comes back to us. But most of these developments. Are reminders that there are
things we need to do that we haven’t done. This s similar to what happens in
other areas. You find that we depend so much on external partners and forget to
put in place what we really have to do” said Kagame.
////Cue In “If you look at African
.......
Cue Out……which direction you want
to take”///
The two leaders seemed to be at
par in terms of what is being done to handle and address the conflicts
including bringing peace troubled DRC. Ramaphosa was of the view that other
external actors were needed.
“We must build peace ourselves because
we live on this continent. And therefore we have a deep responsibility to ensure
that peace indeed prevail. And what they are doing with United States, Qatar or
whatever is part of the peacebuilding process. But is inherently African. And we
must thank those who are assisting because they are our partners,” said Ramaphosa.
///Cue
In “All these efforts ….
Cue
Out …… solutions for African problems”///
The Africa CEO Forum 2025 is being
held amidst a shifting global balance, driven by the return of economic
sovereignty and the resurgence of trade wars, demands a common African
response.
Questions remain whether the
institutions and mechanisms devised over several decades – from the
African Union to regional economic zones and the
African Continental Free Trade Area
(AfCFTA) – have delivered the expected levers of power and growth.
It
remains unclear whether the
private sector has found the conditions it
needs to thrive, let alone emerge as a leading economic force.
Paul
Kagame, Cyril Ramaphosa, Mauritanian
President Mohamed Ould Ghazouania and two other presidents will discuss the required
reforms and how the government and private sectors must collaborate to build a
sovereign and sustainable continental power.
