The Southern African Development Community (SADC) initiated the withdrawal of its peacekeeping troops from the eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) via Rwanda on Tuesday.
Local media in Rwanda reported the movement of SADC forces, which included several trucks transporting soldiers and equipment from Goma in North Kivu province through Rwanda.
The convoy is expected to proceed to Chato in north-western Tanzania before returning to their respective countries.
A soldier commented, ‘Our orders specify that by May 30, everyone and everything must leave Goma and be en route. It was chaotic over the weekend, but there are no complaints as we are finally heading home.’
Rwanda had previously agreed in April to provide safe passage for the SADC forces.
This contingent, comprising several thousand peacekeeping troops from South Africa, Malawi, and Tanzania, was deployed to eastern Congo by the SADC in 2023 to assist the Congolese government in stabilizing a mineral-rich area beset by various insurgencies.
The SADC military mission faced significant casualties in recent months, with approximately a dozen soldiers from South Africa, Malawi, and Tanzania killed as M23 rebels took control of Goma.
Their withdrawal followed the loss of around 17 soldiers to the rebels in the DRC.
The rebels have expressed intentions to extend their conflict to the distant capital, Kinshasa, while the president of Congo has called for a large-scale military mobilization to counter the rebellion.
According to U.N. experts, the M23 rebels are backed by approximately 4,000 troops from Rwanda, and they have occasionally expressed intentions to advance towards Kinshasa, the capital of Congo, which is over 1,000 miles away.
Rwanda has denied allegations from both the Congolese government and U.N. experts regarding its support for M23 in eastern Congo, a region currently facing one of the most severe humanitarian crises globally, with over 7 million displaced individuals.
The withdrawal of SADC troops follows the M23’s capture of Goma, the main city in eastern Congo, and Bukavu, the second-largest city, during offensives in the last two months.
