Kagame says SADC troops would have been annihilated if they fired on Rwanda
Rwandan President Paul Kagame has revealed that the Southern African Development Community (SADC) forces deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) had intentions to attack Rwanda, warning that had they attempted it, they would have been decisively defeated.
President Kagame made the remarks on Friday evening, July 4th, during a speech at the 31st Liberation Day celebrations.
He criticized South Africa, Tanzania, and Malawi for supplying weapons to the Congolese government despite its collaboration with the FDLR, a militia responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
“The whole world looked on as mercenaries from Europe went to Congo, and then our own African brothers and sisters sent weapons and soldiers to support a government that was killing its own citizens, and to support genocidaires who killed our people here. We lost a million people in 100 days because of those monsters,” Kagame said.
The President further noted that the sheer number of weapons found in Goma and Bukavu clearly indicated that the allied forces supporting the DRC government were not primarily targeting the M23 rebel group but instead had Rwanda as their main objective.
“They gathered at our border. You know what was found in Goma, Bukavu, and elsewhere; you must have heard it. The problem was not fighting the so-called AFC/M23. The real target was Rwanda,” he asserted.
Hinting at their defeat, Kagame added:
“You can ask them what happened. What happened was just a tiny fraction of what we could actually do.”
He explained that after the SADC forces realized they could achieve nothing in Rwanda, they lost morale and were allowed safe passage back to their countries.
“We gave them a way out and protected them as they returned home. But had they continued to attack Rwanda, they would have been wiped out. That is not an issue at all. I am telling you this now, and if anyone tries it tomorrow, they will see. I am not joking, I am simply speaking the truth for those who want to hear it. If you have other ideas, we will handle them.”
President Kagame concluded by emphasizing that what happened to Rwanda in the past was enough for a lifetime and would never be allowed to happen again.
