The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has confirmed the deaths of another four soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), bringing the total to 13 in the last week.
In a statement on Tuesday by Department of Defence Head of Communication Siphiwe Dlamini, the SANDF said that following an exchange of mortar fire between the DRC military (FARDC) and the M23 rebel militia on Monday 27 January near Goma Airport where an SANDF base is co-located, three members of the SANDF were caught in the crossfire and were killed.
“Furthermore, the SANDF is also saddened to announce that one of our members who was injured during the battle with M23 rebels over the past three days later succumbed to injuries. The rest of the injured members continue to receive medical attention at the Level 3 Hospital in Goma.”
The SANDF said it remains fully committed to its peacekeeping responsibilities under the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) and SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (SAMIDRC).
“Our troops continue to operate with resolve, courage, and discipline in pursuit of peace and stability in the region,” the SANDF added, stating Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Angie Motshekga, her deputies and SANDF leadership send their condolences to the families of the deceased and the entire defence family.
The SANDF also provided clarity on a video doing the rounds on social media showing SANDF soldiers raising a white flag, believed to be at an SANDF base in Sake. “The footage in question depicts a white flag raised, which is an outcome of discussions between the opposing fighting forces to agree on a truce to allow M23 to recover their dead and injured in the vicinity of our base. This will also open the route for our troops to access medical facilities. This is common practice in any war.”
Daily Maverick reported that the truce lapsed without the dead being collected. “But it was not a surrender,” Dlamini told the publication.
M23 rebels on Monday claimed to have captured Goma, but fighting continues and SANDF, FARDC and MONUSCO forces are still believed to hold Goma Airport, although flights have ceased to operate. FARDC forces are apparently still in control of the port and other strategic areas.
Dlamini said on Monday night that SANDF troops were confined to their bases in Goma and Sake, 23 km to the northwest “in a very tense situation”. The troops are surrounded and unable to get out to seek treatment for their wounded or to receive supplies or reinforcements.
On Saturday 25 January the SANDF said that nine of its soldiers had been killed and several wounded in two days of fierce fighting with the M23 on Thursday and Friday in an effort to push back the M23 advance on Goma, which borders Rwanda. Seven of the troops who died had been deployed with SAMIDRC and two with the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC. The UN reported that three Malawian soldiers in SAMIDRC and a Uruguayan soldier in MONUSCO had also died in the same battle.
Democratic Alliance defence spokesperson Chris Hattingh has called for an urgent and immediate debate in Parliament to assess whether South African soldiers deployed in the DRC were adequately equipped for the mission, and how such a tragedy can be prevented from happening again.
The Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans (PCDMV) is due to meet on Wednesday to discuss the situation in the DRC.
It has been reported that Rwandan troops are overtly supporting M23 rebels, and that FARDC forces have been surrendering to the Rwandan troops. The DRC government has called Rwanda’s intervention an act of war, and cut diplomatic ties with its neighbour. The UN estimated that Rwanda has 3-5 000 of its troops in the DRC.
South Africa’s Presidency on Monday said President Cyril Ramaphosa held telephone call with his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame to discuss the recent developments in the Eastern DRC and the escalation in fighting that has resulted in the deaths of SAMIDRC peacekeepers. “The two heads of state have agreed on the urgent need for a ceasefire and the resumption of peace talks by all parties to the conflict,” the Presidency said.
