
Rwanda has agreed to allow troops from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to evacuate from the rebel-held city of Goma through Rwandan territory to Tanzania, according to three diplomatic sources on Friday.
In mid-March, the 16-nation SADC announced that it would terminate the mandate of its force, SAMIDRC, and begin a phased withdrawal from Congo. The diplomatic sources confirmed that Rwanda has granted permission for the regional force’s troops to transit through its land to reach Tanzania.
Two of the diplomats mentioned that the regional force’s weapons will be sealed for security purposes and will accompany the troops as they depart Rwandan territory.
There has been no immediate comment from SADC or the governments of Rwanda and Congo regarding the development.
General Rudzani Maphwanya, the head of the South African National Defence Force, shared on South African Broadcasting Corporation television Thursday that a technical team is currently in Tanzania finalizing details of the troop withdrawal.
SAMIDRC was deployed in December 2023 to assist the Congolese government in combatting rebel groups in the eastern border region of the DRC. The conflict has escalated since January, with the M23 group capturing the two largest cities in eastern Congo, an extension of the ongoing crisis rooted in the legacy of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide and the competition for control over the DRC’s mineral resources.