Lt Col Ngoma voiced his displeasure during a brief encounter at the Grande Barrière border post with one of the mercenaries who had been fighting alongside the Congolese army, FARDC, and other allied forces and militias to combat the M23 in eastern Congo.
The more than 280 mercenaries, mostly from Romania, were fleeing Goma through Rwanda after the city was captured by M23 fighters on Monday.
Before being handed over to the Rwandan side, Lt Col Ngoma was seen confronting one of the mercenaries, believed to be the commander of the unit.
He told the mercenary that the M23 is fighting for the future of the Congolese children and that they should stay out of the war.
"We are fighting for the future of our children. We have a rich country, but we have foolish leaders. Every month, you get paid $8,000, but a Congolese soldier earns less than $100. Don't fool us. We want Congo to be a respectable country. Don't bring your games here. Don't ever bring your games back to Congo, do you understand? We are fighting for our future," he said angrily.
Lt. Col. Ngoma then instructed the commander to sit down, cross his legs, and put his hands on his head. The mercenary complied, and after a brief moment, Lt. Col. Ngoma told him to stand up and join the others.
Since M23 took control of the city of Goma, many government soldiers there surrendered, while others fled to Rwanda. The European mercenaries, however, handed themselves over to MONUSCO peacekeepers, who confiscated their weapons.
In Goma, around 800 mercenaries from the RALF group were stationed in North Kivu, where they also protected the town of Sake.
They were all hired by Horațiu Potra from Romania, who was arrested in December by the Romanian government for violating laws on weapons and ammunition and for public incitement.
The mercenaries are expected to be flown home from Kigali International Airport later on Wednesday.
Foreign organisations operating in Goma including the United Nations requested to evacuate their staff and families through Rwanda following the closure of the Goma airspace and waterways last week.
M23, which is fighting for the rights of the minority Tusi community in DRC, had accused the Congolese army and allied forces of "using Goma airport to load bombs that are killing the civilian population".
Rwanda Ntabwo ari Congo 😁😁😁😁
Lt colonel Willy Ngoma arimo arakora nk'umusirikare wenyewe uri ku rugamba😁
Ati mwabajinga mwe muzi ibyo mwakoze hano, muri imfungwa z'intambara ati kwanza wewe icara hasi nonaha
🙌🏾🙌🏾
Abantu bamwe numvaga ari ibi mushaka pic.twitter.com/q1zTqoNxqt
â€" Dr. Dash (@dr_dash250) January 29, 2025
IGIHE
