SA’s troops stationed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will only be withdrawn once a ceasefire has been reached along with “confidence building measures”, President Cyril Ramaphosa said.
Members of the SANDF are deployed in the mineral-rich region as part of a Sadc Mission in Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC) and UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Monusco). So far, SA has suffered 14 casualties in intense fighting with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, leading to calls from opposition parties for SA to withdraw its troops.
Sadc heads of state accused Rwanda of direct involvement in the conflict when members of the Rwandan Defence Force (RDF) allegedly attacked members of the SAMIDRC and “the civilian population in various areas of North Kivu”.
The summit held by Sadc leaders last week resolved to dispatch defence ministers, chiefs of defence and troops from collaborating counties to ensure soldiers are safe in DRC. The delegations will also be responsible for the repatriation of the dead SA National Defence Force (SANDF) members as well as those from Malawian and Tanzanian forces.
“The mission will wind down in accordance with the implementation of various confidence-building measures when the ceasefire we have called for takes root,” Ramaphosa said in his weekly newsletter.
“A ceasefire is a necessary precondition for peace talks that must include all parties to the conflict whether they are state or non-state actors, Congolese or non-Congolese.”
The surge in fighting and the deaths of the 14 soldiers has led to a diplomatic fallout between SA and Rwanda straining relations between the two countries further.
“Strong political will and leadership will be required from all parties to the conflict, as well as respect for the territorial integrity of the DRC,” Ramaphosa said.
“We endorse the call by the UN Security Council for the reversal of the territorial expansion by the M23 rebel group and for the exit of external forces from the DRC.”
“The various state and non-state actors involved in the conflict have been implicated in grave human rights abuses including large-scale attacks on civilians, abductions and extrajudicial killings, torture, the recruitment of child soldiers, forced labour, human trafficking and mass rape.”
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