Wounded South African soldiers return home from DR Congo
Africa
By
AFP
| Feb 25, 2025
South African troops seriously wounded in the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have returned home for treatment, the military said on Tuesday.
Rwanda-backed M23 fighters have captured swathes of eastern DRC despite military support provided by several countries, including South Africa, to the Congolese army.
The wounded troops were part of a mission sent by the 16-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) bloc in 2023 to help Kinshasa quell unrest in the mineral-rich east.
"The group of critically injured soldiers who needed urgent medical attention have been successfully repatriated," the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) said in a statement.
It was not immediately clear how many had arrived.
READ MORE
At least 11 dead in DRC after blasts at M23 rally, rebels say
UN authorises evacuation of staff families from Burundi
DR Congo accuses Rwandan army of supporting rebel attacks against its military bases
Two explosions at M23 meeting in east DR Congo city: AFP reporters
Elevating employee experience key to unlock organisational success
Joseph Kabila hits out at Tshisekedi over DR Congo conflict, turmoil
US State Secretary Rubio, Ruto call for ceasefire in DRC
M23 pushes deeper in east DRC, UN urges Rwanda forces to leave
M23 advances deeper in east DRC as Congolese troops flee
UN Security Council to vote on text clearly condemning Rwanda
SANDF said the next batch of injured soldiers would return "during the course of the week".
A tally of those wounded would be given at the end of the exercise, SANDF spokesman Siphiwe Dlamini told AFP.
South Africa dominates the SADC force, which is estimated to number around 1,300, with Malawi and Tanzania also contributing soldiers.
Earlier this month, Malawi ordered its troops to prepare to withdraw from DRC.
South Africa has suffered 14 casualties in the raging conflict that has provoked fears of a regional war. Most of the casualties were part of SADC mission.
At least two of those killed were in a separate UN-mandated peacekeeping force.
The M23 group is supported by some 4,000 Rwandan soldiers according to UN experts.
It has wrested control of the South Kivu provincial capital Bukavu and Goma, the main city in the country's perennially volatile east.
More than 7,000 people have been killed in the fighting since January, DR Congo's Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka told the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday.
She said the number includes "more than 2,500 bodies buried without being identified", adding that another 1,500 bodies were still in the morgue.
AFP has not been able to verify these figures.