Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame says he wants peace, but he’s not acting like a leader who wants it.
In an extraordinary display last week, the autocrat favored by western leaders for stabilizing his country and transforming the economy told CNN that he did not know whether members of his army were in war-torn eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) or not. This is despite repeated United Nations reports outlining his government’s funding for the M23 rebels — who have in the past month captured three major DRC cities and annexed massive territory — and detailing the presence of 4,000 Rwanda Defense Force troops in the region.
The week before, Kagame shocked the continent when he taunted South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa with war. "If South Africa prefers confrontation,” he posted on X. "Rwanda will deal with the matter in that context any day.”
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.