The South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Monday that South Africa will be sending 2,900 troops from the South African National Defense Force to combat armed groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The country has expressed that this act is in alignment with its obligations to the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and a necessary measure to provide support to the DRC during its ongoing civil strife. The troops are expected to remain deployed until December of 2024.
The DRC has consistently been grappling with unrest in recent months. United Nations peacekeeping missions have been persistently stationed throughout the nation since 1999 to manage casualties and displaced people resulting from the conflict between the government and the rebel group known as the 23 March Movement. However, even though the DRC has chosen to request the UN Security Council to gradually pull out troops in December 2023 instead of the originally planned withdrawal at the end of 2024, it’s noteworthy that the government and rebel clashes are becoming stronger or more frequent, as reported by the UN.
In an attempt to bring peace and stability to the eastern part of the DRC, the SADC hosted a summit back in June 2023. The SADC, in an official statement, expressed urgent concern over the ongoing insecurity and the humanitarian situation in the DRC. These issues have been further worsened by the criminal activities of the armed and terrorist groups present in the region. The SADC called for the establishment of humanitarian corridors to enable humanitarian assistance.
Among other parties present at the summit was the United Nations, the East African Community and the Economic Community of Central African States. The summit concluded in the adoption of the Joint Framework of Peace Initiatives in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Its aim is to promote existing peace initiatives with clearly outlined responsibilities and timelines.
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