Magaliesburg, South Africa – South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola has denied any knowledge that members of the M23 rebel group would be attending a peace summit where he was a keynote speaker.

The event, hosted by the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, was the second African Peace and Security Dialogue held over the weekend at Mount Grace in Magaliesburg. Dignitaries from across the continent participated in discussions aimed at promoting peace in Africa.

M23 members reportedly attended the summit despite the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government declining their invitation. Earlier this year, South African forces clashed with M23 rebels in Goma, resulting in 14 South African deaths and strained relations with Rwanda, which was accused of supporting the group.

The DRC government reportedly boycotted the Magaliesburg conference, and DRC nationals staged a protest outside the venue on Saturday. M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka thanked former president Thabo Mbeki for the invitation but criticised the DRC government for declining. “It is dreadful. Awful. To have a president of a country deny an invitation for peace is really appalling. As a Congolese, I can only apologise to his excellency Thabo Mbeki and his foundation,” he said.

Lamola told City Press that his department had not checked the guest list before the event but remains committed to the conference’s objectives. “We were not aware that there were members of the M23 rebels. For us, the dialogue is part of information sharing and a way of trying to find solutions to the continent’s political conflicts,” he said.

During his speech at the summit, Lamola urged African nations to find solutions from within the continent. He noted the need for a united voice to ensure the continent benefits from its critical mineral resources.