SADC to send troops to restore peace in Eastern DRC

GOOBJOOG NEWS | GABORONE: The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has announced plans to deploy troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo to help quell disturbances in the Eastern part of the country.

President Felix Tshisekedi of the DRC on Tuesday flew to Botswana where he is scheduled to meet his counterpart president Mokgweetsi Masisi to discuss details of the deployment with other leaders from the regional bloc.

Namibian president Hage Geingob who spoke after a special SADC meeting in the country’s capital Windhok said the security situation in eastern DRC needed urgent attention.

“The summit reiterated SADC’s solidarity to assist the government and people of the Republic of Congo in its efforts to restore peace and stability in the eastern part of the country, particularly in light of the upcoming national elections scheduled for December 2023,” said Geingob, who serves as chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Security and Defense.

SADC Executive Secretary Elias Magosi added that the meeting resolved to send troops to the DRC to assist in ending hostilities.

“Summit approved the deployment of a SADC Force within the framework of the SADC Standby Force as a regional response in support of the DRC to restore peace and security in Eastern DRC. Summit approved a SADC Common Position to have a more coordinated approach, given the multiple deployments under multilateral and bilateral arrangements in the eastern DRC, and urged the Government of the DRC to put in place the necessary conditions and measures for effective coordination amongst sub-regional forces and bilateral partners operating in the DRC,” said Magosi.

South Africa, an SADC member, already has 1,184 soldiers deployed in the DRC under the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the DRC, known as MONESCO.