The command element of 9 SA Infantry (SAI) Battalion, which left for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) this week, is the leader group of the thirty second SA National Defence Force (SANDF) deployment to the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission under Operation Mistral.
The group, along with a Tactical Intelligence Unit (TIU) from the SA Army Intelligence Formation, boarded an Ethiopian Airlines charter flight from Bloemfontein’s Bram Fischer International Airport (BFIA) bound for the DRC. The contingent will be followed by the remainder of the 32nd South African commitment to MONUSCO (UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC).
They are set to take up duties in the mission’s Force Intervention Brigade (FIB), activated in March 2013. Staffed by Malawian, South African and Tanzanian military personnel, it is the only UN peacekeeping unit given an offensive mandate as part of its protection of civilians duty.
All involved were declared mission ready following pre-deployment training and validation at the Joint Mobilisation and Demobilisation Centre (JMDC) at the De Brug training area outside the Free State capital. The pre-deployment phase was to ensure the next South African MONUSCO rotation met set UN requirements in, among others, command and control, protection of civilians and provision of humanitarian assistance.
Cape Town-based 9 SAI will fly the South African flag in the MONUSCO Force Intervention Brigade, replacing Eastern Cape, Mthatha-based, sister unit 14 SAI.
Major General Godfrey Thulare, SANDF Joint Operations Division Headquarters General Officer Commanding (GOC) was on hand to bid the soldiers farewell with best wishes for the work ahead.
Reporting on the departure, Major SS Kekana of Joint Operations added a personal farewell when he bid those leaving home soil “tsela tshweu” – good luck.
The rotation of the South African commitment to MONUSCO comes ahead of a 19 December UN Security Council (SC) briefing where ending the 14-year-old mission will be on the agenda. Although the UN was supposed to withdraw from the DRC this year, the UN said the meeting later this month is also expected to renew MONUSCO’s mandate, which is set to expire on 20 December.
“A key issue for Council members in December will be MONUSCO’s mandate renewal. Unlike the past two years, the Congolese government is no longer pushing for the mission to leave. After MONUSCO’s withdrawal from South Kivu, Council members also feel that the conditions are not yet favourable for the mission to draw down in North Kivu and Ituri, the two remaining provinces where the mission continues to operate. A possible option for Council members is to renew the mission’s mandate for another year while also considering strengthening MONUSCO’s capacity to support the development of DRC’s national institutions and its capacity to protect civilians,” the UN Security Council Report noted this month.
The security situation in eastern DRC remains fragile, with the Mouvement du 23 Mars (M23) rebel group further expanding its presence in North Kivu province, the Report said. It added that Council members agreed the solution to the long-standing issue in the DRC is political, and they continue to support regional efforts.
“Council members also agree on the need to address the root causes of the crisis in eastern DRC. Some members have repeatedly expressed concerns about the illegal exploitation of natural resources and the proliferation of weapons, which help to fuel the conflict in the region.”
South Africa also has troops in the DRC serving with the Southern African Development Community Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC). Its Deputy Force Commander, Brigadier General Julius Gambosi, this week visited troops from all three Troop Contributing Counties (Malawi, South Africa and Tanzania) stationed at Goma and Sake.
“Your efforts and sacrifices do not go unnoticed,” he remarked. “You stand as the first line of defence, far from your families, ensuring the safety, and well-being of others. For this, we owe you an immense debt of gratitude.”
