DRC seeking 'safe exit' for southern African troops

THE DEMOCRATIC Republic of Congo is working towards a "safe, co-ordinated" exit of troops deployed by a southern African regional bloc to its volatile east, the foreign minister said Thursday.

The 16-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) this month pulled the plug on the mission after a string of losses and announced a phased withdrawal from the area where the M23 armed group has made major advances.

Details of the drawdown have not been made public.

"The decision of SADC was totally a legitimate one and we fully respect it," said DRC Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, adding that her government was aware of the "extremely difficult conditions".

"We are working towards paving the way for a safe, coordinated exit," Kayikwamba told reporters during a visit to South Africa.

South Africa contributed the bulk of the troops to the SADC mission, which also included deployments from Malawi and Tanzania.

Defence officials have refused to say how many South African soldiers are in the country, but the number has been estimated at more than 1,000.

Fourteen South African soldiers were killed in the volatile area in January in the country's biggest loss since the SADC force was deployed in December 2023.

South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola said the withdrawal did not amount to giving up on the DRC -- also a SADC member -- as it faces the Rwanda-backed M23.

"We have not abandoned the DRC either as South Africa or as SADC," Lamola told reporters.

The DRC defence minister was also on a visit to South Africa, seeking to deepen military ties.

The conflict in the mineral-rich eastern DRC threatens to draw in neighbouring countries, and southern and eastern African regional blocs have made numerous diplomatic efforts to find a solution.

On Monday, the M23 group walked back on a pledge to withdraw from the town of Walikale, the group's furthest advance westward in the DRC since it emerged in 2012.

The town is located at the junction of two roads leading to Goma and Bukavu, which the group seized this year after a lightning offensive.

- AFP