South Africa has announced that it will deploy 2,900 soldiers to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as part of a regional force to combat armed groups that have been terrorizing the population and disrupting the mining industry.
The decision, which was approved by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday, comes amid a surge in violence in the mineral-rich region, where dozens of militias vie for control over land and resources.
The South African troops will join forces from Malawi and Tanzania, who are already part of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission in the DRC. The mission, which was authorized by the SADC in May last year, has an offensive mandate to support the Congolese army in its fight against the rebels.
The deployment will last for one year, from December 15, 2023, to December 15, 2024, and will cost around 2 billion rand ($105.75 million), according to a statement from the presidency.
The SADC mission is separate from the United Nations peacekeeping operation in the DRC, known as MONUSCO, which has been in the country since 1999 and is the largest and most expensive UN mission in the world.
The SADC mission aims to address the instability and deteriorating security situation in the eastern DRC, where decades of conflicts have killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced more than 7 million.
One of the main challenges facing the SADC force is the threat posed by the M23 rebels, a Tutsi-led group that has been waging a rebellion against the Congolese government since 2012.
The M23 rebels, who are allegedly backed by Rwanda and Uganda, have recently intensified their attacks and advances in the North Kivu province, where they are threatening to capture the provincial capital, Goma.
The rebels have also been accused of committing human rights abuses, including unlawful killings, rapes, and other war crimes, by Human Rights Watch and other groups.
The Congolese government has welcomed the SADC intervention and expressed its hope that it will help restore peace and stability in the region.
The South African government has also reiterated its commitment to the SADC mission and its solidarity with the people of the DRC.
South Africa has a history of involvement in peacekeeping operations in Africa, having contributed troops to missions in Burundi, Sudan, Somalia, and the Central African Republic.
However, the deployment to the DRC is likely to be one of the most challenging and risky for the South African troops, who will face a complex and volatile security environment, as well as harsh terrain and weather conditions.
The South African public has also expressed mixed reactions to the deployment, with some supporting the humanitarian and diplomatic objectives of the mission, while others questioning the cost and necessity of sending troops to a foreign conflict.
Source: Reuters
