Rwanda's President Paul Kagame trashed the leader of Congo during a chat with internet star Mario Nawfal. Asked what he'd tell President Felix Tshisekedi in private, Kagame didn't hold back. He flat-out said he wished Tshisekedi wasn't running that good country. This heated comment adds fuel to already burning tensions between these African nations.
The two countries fight through proxies, causing thousands of deaths across eastern Congo. Rwanda supports the M23 rebels who grabbed huge chunks of mineral-rich land since their attack started in December 2024. These fighters stand out as the strongest among hundreds of armed groups trying to control eastern Congo. They seized Goma, the biggest eastern city, by late January 2025.
After taking Goma, M23 rebels boldly announced they'd march toward Kinshasa, Congo's capital located 2,000 kilometers away. They've moved forward quickly since making that threat. This conflict has deep roots going back to Rwanda's 1994 genocide and ongoing battles for Congo's valuable minerals. The United Nations recently counted over 4,000 Rwandan soldiers fighting alongside M23 inside Congo.
Kagame claims Rwanda just defends itself against threats. When directly asked if thousands of Rwandan troops fight with M23 in Congo, he answered vaguely, saying he didn't know. Then he strangely flipped the question around, saying, "Why ask him something when the person already knows the answer?" The International Criminal Court's Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan recently warned that any armed group or military force operating on Congo's territory will face prosecution.
The two countries fight through proxies, causing thousands of deaths across eastern Congo. Rwanda supports the M23 rebels who grabbed huge chunks of mineral-rich land since their attack started in December 2024. These fighters stand out as the strongest among hundreds of armed groups trying to control eastern Congo. They seized Goma, the biggest eastern city, by late January 2025.
After taking Goma, M23 rebels boldly announced they'd march toward Kinshasa, Congo's capital located 2,000 kilometers away. They've moved forward quickly since making that threat. This conflict has deep roots going back to Rwanda's 1994 genocide and ongoing battles for Congo's valuable minerals. The United Nations recently counted over 4,000 Rwandan soldiers fighting alongside M23 inside Congo.
Kagame claims Rwanda just defends itself against threats. When directly asked if thousands of Rwandan troops fight with M23 in Congo, he answered vaguely, saying he didn't know. Then he strangely flipped the question around, saying, "Why ask him something when the person already knows the answer?" The International Criminal Court's Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan recently warned that any armed group or military force operating on Congo's territory will face prosecution.
