President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame. Picture: Fabrice Coffrini, AFP
THE PRESIDENT of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, has refuted widespread allegations that his country is involved in mass looting of resources from the mineral-rich eastern province of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Instead, in an interview with CNN, Kagame shifted the blame to South Africa, which has been involved in years of peacekeeping missions through the regional SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC) and the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) brigade.
Kagame said he does not believe that his neighbor, Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi, wants the conflict to continue but claims he has been influenced by external forces.
“I do not think anybody is interested in war. I even do not think Tshisekedi himself is interested in war, but he has been encouraged in that direction by people showing up to fight for him his wars,” said Kagame.
He dismissed allegations that Rwanda lacks coltan mines yet exports the highly sought-after mineral smuggled from the DRC.
“No, please. I invite you (journalist), we show you where we mine coltan,” said Kagame.
When asked whether Rwanda exports minerals smuggled from the DRC, Kagame responded that he had no knowledge of such activities.
He added: “That, in any case, cannot be the problem. The people who are benefiting from minerals of Congo, more than anybody else, are South Africa and these other Europeans who are making noise about it.”
A June 2024 report by Oluwole Ojewale, ENACT Central Africa Organised Crime Observatory Coordinator at the Institute for Security Studies, stated that the DRC's extractive reform strategy fails to address the impact of illegal cobalt mining on people, the environment, and the economy.
The report added that the DRC is the world’s leading cobalt producer, contributing around 70% to global production.
However, complex levels of organised crime occur along the supply chain of this strategic mineral from the DRC. These include illegal mining, smuggling and collusion between illegal miners, organised criminal gangs, and state-embedded actors involved in its extraction and trade, Ojewale said.
Cobalt plays a crucial role in powering modern technology. It is used to produce lithium-ion batteries, integral to electric vehicles, computers and smartphones.
With the increasing shift towards renewable energy sources, there’s a massive demand for these batteries. Global demand for cobalt is projected to quadruple by 2030, primarily for electric vehicles.
"While soldiers and police are not allowed in mining areas due to global certification requirements designed to prohibit blood or conflict minerals, the informality of mining operations in remote locations encourages their participation. Environmental advocates and civil society actors told the ISS that law enforcement officials visited sites at night to illegally obtain cobalt from artisanal miners, which they resold for profit," said Ojewale.
"Cobalt smuggling is aided by corruption at the borders with Zambia, Burundi and Tanzania, where poorly paid security officials are easily bribed. Border police reportedly know which vehicles smugglers use and turn a blind eye for a kickback. Soldiers and border law enforcement officers sometimes provide security for smugglers conveying cobalt to neighbouring countries.
"Mineral smugglers devise ingenious means to remove cobalt from the DRC, sometimes presenting forged traceability and certification documents to border officials," the report stated.
Last week, it was reported that as tension between South Africa and Rwanda escalated to an unprecedented level, Kagame hit back at President Cyril Ramaphosa on social media platform X.
In what Kagame described as “important clarifications for the record”, the Rwandan strongman questioned the presence of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC), a regional peacekeeping mission that comprises South African, Tanzanian, and Malawian armed forces in the vast nation situated in central Africa but is a member of SADC.
“SAMIDRC is not a peacekeeping force, and it has no place in this situation. It was authorised by Southern African Development Community (SADC) as a belligerent force engaging in offensive combat operations to help the DRC government fight against its own people, working alongside genocidal armed groups like FDLR which target Rwanda, while also threatening to take the war to Rwanda itself,” said Kagame in a strongly worded public response to Ramaphosa.
“SAMIDRC displaced a true peacekeeping force, the East African Community Regional Force, and this contributed to the failure of the negotiation processes.”
The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) is one of the Hutu ethnic groups, which includes some people who were responsible for the Rwandan genocide and is still active in eastern DRC.
On Sunday, the DFA reported that the South African National Defence Force released the names of the 14 soldiers who were killed in fierce fight in the DRC.
The fallen soldiers’ names are: Staff Sergeant William Eddie Cola, Staff Sergeant Molahlehi Ishmael Molahlehi, Staff Sergeant Shwahlane Theophilus Seepe, Corporal Matome Justice Malesa, Corporal Rinae Nemavhulani, Lance Bombardier Itumeleng Macdonald Moreo, Lance Corporal Tseke Moffat Molapo, Lance Corporal Metse Stansly Raswiswi, Rifleman Sebatane Richard Chokoe, Rifleman Derrick Maluleke, Rifleman Tshidiso Andries Mabele, Rifleman Calvin Louis Moagi, Rifleman Mokete Joseph Mobe, Private Peter Jacobus Strydom.