African leaders have announced the withdrawal of thousands of troops from South Africa, Tanzania and Malawi who were sent to quell rebellions in the mineral-rich eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where M23 rebels have killed several peacekeepers as they seized the region this year.
Troops from the three countries were sent in 2023 under the banner of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), but public anger over the deployment grew after rebels killed 14 South African and three Malawian peacekeepers in January.
The decision was announced after a virtual meeting of the 16-nation bloc, which also includes Congo, and a day after Angola announced peace talks between the Democratic Republic of Congo's government and the M23 rebels would take place next week.
No timetable has been announced for the withdrawal of troops, which have reached 3,000, but a SADC statement said it would be a “phased withdrawal”.
South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola told his country's national broadcaster SABC that other warring parties should also withdraw troops.
“All forces that are not invited, the uninvited parties involved in this conflict, must also withdraw and participate in the ceasefire process,” Mr Lamola said.
The SADC mission was part of a host of forces operating in a resource-rich region plagued by decades of armed violence. They include Congolese government soldiers, foreign mercenaries, UN peacekeepers and more than 100 groups fighting for power, land and valuable mineral resources. Others are trying to protect their communities. Some armed groups have been accused of massacres and ethnic cleansing.
M23 rebels are backed by about 4,000 troops from neighbouring Rwanda, according to UN experts, and have at times vowed to march as far as Congo's capital, Kinshasa, more than 1,000 miles away.
Rwanda has rejected accusations, including from the Congolese government and UN experts, that it supports the M23 movement in eastern Congo, a region currently experiencing one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, with more than seven million people displaced.
The SADC withdrawal comes after offensives over the past two months have seen M23 take control of eastern Congo's main city, Goma, and capture the second-largest city, Bukavu.
Fourteen South African soldiers and at least three Malawians were killed in fighting in January. The United Nations later evacuated a group of seriously wounded South African peacekeepers, although the South African government has not provided figures.
SADC deployed troops to eastern Congo in December 2023 and extended its mandate for another year during a meeting in the Zimbabwean capital Harare last November.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the SADC chairman, called for “continued support” for the safe withdrawal of troops and equipment, adding that “dialogue is key to achieving lasting peace” in Congo.
Last month, the UN Human Rights Council set up a commission to investigate atrocities, including allegations of rape and killings akin to “summary executions,” committed by both sides.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
