SANDF Says Soldiers’ Withdrawal From DRC To Be Discussed Politically

• The South African National Defence Force discussed the possibility of its troops withdrawing from the Democratic Republic of Congo conflict
• The SANDF is in the eastern regions of the country on a peacekeeping mission where the DRC is clashing with M23 rebels
• The SANDF's spokesperson said the discussion of the force withdrawing from the conflict is political

Tebogo Mokwena, a dedicated Briefly News current affairs journalist, contributed coverage of international and local social issues like health, corruption, education, unemployment, labour, service delivery protests and immigration in South Africa during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

JOHANNESBURG — The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) said it would not comment on the possibility of the force withdrawing from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) conflict where the M23 killed nine SANDF members.

Will the SANDF withdraw?

According to SABC News, Kenya's president William Ruto invited the Rwandan and DRC heads of state to discuss the conflict in the region. The SAND has experienced 13 losses this year alone. They were caught in the crossfire between the DRC military and the M23 rebels.

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What the government said

Speculations have been rife that there could be a possibility of the SANDF packing up and returning to shore. This was after politicians, including Economic Freedom Fighter (EFF) president Julius Malema, called for the military to be withdrawn from the conflict. SANDF spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini said there is consultation between the Southern African Development Community and the East African Community about ending the conflict.

However, he noted that the discussion of the SANDF withdrawing is in the realm of politics. President Cyril Ramaphosa recently contacted Ruto to discuss solutions to end the crisis. His spokesperson Vincent Magwenya, said it is not South Africa's decision alone to withdraw from the DRC.

What you need to know about the DRC conflict

• Ramaphosa deployed 2900 soldiers to support the DRC as part of a SADC peace-keeping mission in February 2024
• In June, months later, two SANDF soldiers were slain during a mortar attack on a SANDF base
• Recently, the SANDF admitted that the force is under-resourced, making it difficult for them to provide adequate military support

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SANDF denies surrendering to M23

In a recent article, Briefly News reported that the SANDF denied reports that its soldiers surrendered to the M23 rebels. This was after a video of SANDF soldiers waving a white flag went viral.

The SANDF noted that the white flag was a temporary ceasefire which enabled the M23 to retrieve their dead. South Africans emphasised the need for SANDF troops to be withdrawn from the conflict.

Source: Briefly News