SADC troop departure to be finished by the end of May in DR Congo
The South African military chief stated that the SADC forces are expected to leave from DR Congo by the end of May.
At a press briefing on Sunday, May 4, Gen. Rudzani Maphwanya, chief of the South African National Defence Forces (SANDF), stated that an advance team of 57 troops and 13 trucks of equipment from South Africa, Malawi, and Tanzania began the withdrawal from AFC/M23 rebel-controlled Goma city through Rwanda on April 29.
Continuing via Rwanda, the troops would reach Chato, a port town in Tanzania, from whence they will leave for their respective nations, he said.
“The second batch is scheduled to begin today, and this movement will be completed by the end of this month,” the South African military chief stated.
The second phase of SADC forces’ departure, according to the New Times, began on Sunday afternoon when they landed in the border city of Rubavu.
In December 2023, the SADC mission led by South Africa was sent to the war-torn eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to support a coalition of Congolese government forces battling the M23 rebels. Since January of this year, the rebels have launched an offensive, seizing surrounding areas, including SADC military bases, and the important cities of Goma and Bukavu.
After attempts to airlift the troops from Goma airport failed, Maphwanya said the SADC secretariat had asked Rwanda to permit them to travel through its territory to Tanzania.
Following days of discussions mediated by Qatar, M23 and the Congolese government reached a ceasefire agreement on April 23, marking the start of the SADC forces’ pullout amid renewed efforts to end the war peacefully.
According to the South African military chief, the pullout was “a technical move that allows peace and mediation to continue,” even though the Congolese army, SADC forces, and their affiliated genocidal militia FDLR have suffered losses since January.
“The remaining South Africans and SADC members will disperse from the assembly area, which is in Tanzania, and leave Goma and Sake [through Rwanda],” Maphwanya stated.
Citing concerns over safety and security, he refused to disclose how many SADC soldiers were still in eastern DR Congo.
Equipment and staff are both being moved and repatriated. He declared, “SADC is not leaving no trace in eastern DR Congo.”
There was a lot of pressure on the South African government to remove its forces from the Democratic Republic of the Congo after 14 SANDF members were killed in combat.
According to Maphwanya, the dead soldiers have been laid to rest, and all combat casualties and other sick people have been sent home.
“We are withdrawing in a methodical, phased manner, not cowing away,” he declared.
