The Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been extended by a year.
The extension decision was taken on Thursday 21 November at an extraordinary SADC Heads of State summit in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare.
The mission is staffed by Malawian, South African and Tanzanian soldiers and support personnel and is led by South African Major General Monwabisi Dyakopu.
A communique issued post the Harare summit has it the SAMIDRC mandate is extended for a year “continuing the regional response to address the prevailing unstable security situation in eastern DRC”.
The first boots hit the ground in the regional bloc peacekeeping and peace building mission mid-December last year with a 12 month mandate. It started operations while the SADC mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) was still operational. That mission first deployed in July 2021 and ceased operations in July this year.
The SAMIDRC extension, according to the communique, was taken in the light of “concern at the continued deterioration of the security and humanitarian situation in the country and reiterated SADC support to the Government of the DRC towards resolving the conflict and attainment of lasting peace, stability and security in the country”.
Support for the Southern African regional bloc mission from the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was acknowledged at the summit, attended by representatives of 14 of the 16 SADC member countries.
The South African contribution to SAMIDRC, as announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa late last year, is 2 900 military personnel at a cost of R2.4 billion for the 12 month South African deployment, set to end on 15 December.
