SADC starts removing its troops from DR Congo

As part of a planned withdrawal that began in April with moving vehicles and other logistical assets, SADC troops left eastern DR Congo.

As the troops left the conflict-torn country through Rwanda, they were taken by several buses from the Goma and Sake camps.

Tanzanian, Malawian, and South African soldiers make up the SADC operation. The troops will go through Rwanda to get to Tanzania. From there, they will go back to their own countries.

In the second part, mission personnel, their personal belongings, and the leftover operational equipment are sent back to their home countries.

To make sure the safe return of mission people and equipment, this process is being carried out in a structured and coordinated way, the SADC Secretariat said in a statement on Thursday, June 12.

The SADC forces fought alongside the Congolese government against the AFC/M23 rebels, who now hold large parts of eastern DR Congo. This includes Goma and Bukavu, which are the capital cities of North and South Kivu Kivu provinces, respectively.

The troops came through Rwanda from a province held by rebels after SADC asked the Rwandan government to make it easier for them to leave in mid-April.

Since the AFC/M23 rebels took over Goma, the city of North Kivu, in January, the Congolese government coalition has lost ground. This coalition is made up of the genocidal FDLR militia, Burundian forces, and Wazalendo groups.

The rebels and the SADC mission signed a deal on March 28 to pull the South Africa-led SADC forces out of DR Congo. In exchange, the rebels let the SADC forces leave eastern DR Congo with their weapons and gear.

The SADC troops are pulling out just as peace efforts are picking up speed. In their first direct talks, the Congolese government and rebels agreed to end the fighting.

Following peace talks that began on April 10 in Doha and were mediated by Qatar, both sides announced on April 23 that they had chosen to try to end the conflict peacefully.

Rwanda and DR Congo’s diplomatic ties were hurt by the war. On April 25, the US government helped them come to an important agreement to settle the problems that were holding them back.

Rwanda has been worried for years about DR Congo’s ties with the FDLR, a group that is recognized by the UN and was started by people who killed millions of Tutsi in 1994. DR Congo said that Rwanda was helping the M23 rebels, but Rwanda denies this and says that it has taken defensive steps to stop the security risks from happening.