South Africa has contributed 2 900 troops to the SADC mission to support the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) fight against illegal armed groups operating on its territory.
In a statement, the South African Presidency said the deployment will cover the period from 15 December 2023 to 15 December 2024 and will cost “just over R2 billion”. Reads the statement:
In fulfilling South Africa’s international obligation towards the Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission to support the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered the employment of 2 900 members of the South African National Defence Force to assist in the fight against illegal armed groups in the Eastern DRC.
The employment will cover the period from 15 December 2023 to 15 December 2024 and it was authorized in accordance with the provisions of section 201(2) (c) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.
The budgeted expenditure to be incurred for the employment amounts to just over R2 billion. This expenditure will not impact provisions for the defence force’s regular maintenance and emergency repairs.
The obligation to contribute troops to the SADC mission in the DRC is borne by all SADC member states.
Thousands of people are fleeing violence in eastern DRC as fighting intensifies between the Congolese army and the M23 armed group.
Reports suggest that fighters surrounded the strategic town of Sake on Wednesday, a crucial step before reaching Goma, the capital of North Kivu.
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