Kagame's comments clearly suggested that he wants South Africa to back off from DR Congo, where its military involvement dates back to the late 1990s. It first joined the UN's peacekeeping mission, Monusco, following the end of the racist system of apartheid in 1994.

STORY: President Paul Kagame said that Rwanda was ready to, quote, "deal with" any possible "confrontation" with South Africa, should it arise over the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Rwanda-backed rebels who have captured eastern Congo’s largest city say they plan to take their rebellion to the capital and seek to gain political power.