The South African National Defence Union said they were relieved that SANDF soldiers deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo will be coming home. This comes after the Southern African Development Community (SADC) announced its decision to withdraw its troops from the peacemaking mission in the West African country.

WITHDRAWAL OF TROOPS

The decision was made today during the extraordinary summit of the SADC Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC). The summit, attended by heads of state and government from the SADC, took place in Harare, Zimbabwe, where they discussed the security situation. This comes almost two months after fourteen SANDF soldiers were killed in Goma during a conflict with M23 rebels. A communiqué released by the SADC Secretariat after the summit indicated that they were concerned about the continued deterioration of the security situation in the eastern DRC, including the capturing of Goma and Bukavu and the blockage of the main supply routes, making it difficult for humanitarian aid to flow. "Summit terminated the mandate of SAMIRC and directed the commencement of a phased withdrawal of SAMIDRC troops from the DRC. Summit commended the troops for their selfless acts, unity, diligence, and resiliency shown since the beginning of the mission," SADC said in the joint statement. It also emphasised its dedication to addressing the ongoing conflict in the DRC and reaffirmed its commitment to support interventions aimed at bringing lasting peace and security to the eastern DRC.

RELIEVED

The South African National Defence Union (SANDU) said they typically refrain from commenting on deployment matters; they are relieved that their members will be coming back home. "We acknowledge the development with relief, particularly for the SANDF personnel who remain in a precarious situation. Over the past two months, they have endured immense hardship, and we welcome any steps that will ensure their safe return," the union's national secretary, Pikkie Greeff, said. He added that they trust those concrete plans. "However, we caution that this phase of the process is highly sensitive and must be handled with the utmost care," Greef said. In December 2023, SADC deployed forces to the DRC in December 2023 to support the DRC army against M23 rebels. Ramaphosa deployed 2900 troops by the SA presidency. The South African presidency authorised the deployment of 2,900 troops.