South Africa often uses its diplomatic heft to position itself as defender of the "global south" on the world stage, but the deaths of 13 of its soldiers in eastern Congo fighting have exposed an inability to project hard power in its own backyard.

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.

Rwanda-Backed M23 Rebels Open New Front in South Kivu | Firstpost Africa Welcome to Firstpost Africa with Alyson Le Grange. We are live from Durban, South Africa. Rwanda-backed M23 rebels are advancing further into the Democratic Republic of Congo's mineral-rich eastern region.