The Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission will complete its troop withdrawal from the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo by the end of May. This announcement was made by South Africa on Sunday. South African National Defense Force Chief Gen. Rudzani Maphwanya stated that the official withdrawal commenced on April 29th.
Since the start of the withdrawal, 13 trucks carrying 57 advance troops have departed Goma, the conflict zone, en route to an assembly point in Tanzania. Gen. Maphwanya explained that troops will gather in Tanzania before returning to their respective contributing nations. South African troops will be airlifted, while equipment will be transported by sea.
The withdrawal follows a decision by regional leaders and is supported by a cease-fire and cessation of hostilities between Congolese forces and the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels. Gen. Maphwanya expressed confidence that both parties will uphold the cease-fire, emphasizing that “we cannot find peace through shooting at each other.”
South African National Defense Force Chief of Joint Operations Lt. Gen. Siphiwe Sangweni detailed that the withdrawal is phased, moving personnel from Goma (“red zone”) to Tanzania (“green zone”). Despite the geographical distance between Goma and Tanzania being approximately 491 kilometers as the crow flies (and a much longer road distance of over 1500km, taking over 26 hours to drive according to online sources), travel took two days due to poor road conditions causing vehicle breakdowns.
Upon their return, the troops will be accommodated in a demobilization camp in Bloemfontein for recuperation. South Africa’s Defense Minister Angelina Motshekga hailed the troop withdrawal from Goma as a new chapter for regional peace efforts. Malawi and Tanzania are also contributing nations to the SADC mission.