SA lawmakers welcome decision to withdraw troops

A SOUTH African parliamentary defence oversight committee has welcomed the decision by the Southern African Development Community to withdraw its troops from eastern DR Congo to pursue a political and diplomatic route in addressing the crisis there.

- KELVIN JAKACHIRA

An SADC summit on March 13 terminated the mandate of the regional bloc’s military mission in eastern DR Congo and “directed the commencement of a phased withdrawal” of its troops from the country. This came a day after it was announced that direct peace talks between AFC/M23 rebels and the Congolese government are set to start in Luanda, Angola, on March 18. The co-chairs of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence, lawmakers Malusi Gigaba and Phiroane Phala, welcomed the decision to terminate the Southern African Mission in DR Congo (SAMIDRC), especially following the death of 14 South African National Defence Forces (SANDF) soldiers on the front line before the AFC/M23 rebels defeated a vast Congolese army coalition and captured towns such as Sake and Goma.

“The chairpersons welcomed the decision, especially following the death of 14 SANDF soldiers in the DRC and the need to explore other political and diplomatic options to resolve the impasse,’ the committee co-chairs said. “The recommendation by SADC Heads of State to support other interventions aimed at bringing lasting peace and security to DRC reaffirms our belief that dialogue should be placed at the centre of efforts to resolve the DRC conflict. Achieving peace and stability in eastern DRC is a precondition for economic growth and development of not only the DRC but of the region”

The Congolese army has been battling the rebels with the help of allies including hundreds of European mercenaries, a Rwandan genocidal militia group known as FDLR, a group of Congolese militias known as Wazalendo, over 10 000 Burundian troops, South African-led SADC forces, as well as UN peacekeepers.