African eyes as well as others in the United States (US) and elsewhere in the world will be focussed on Tanzanian port city Dar es Salaam where a Saturday two regional bloc summit will attempt to find solutions to ongoing fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The city, the sixth largest in Africa, is the venue for an East African Community (EAC)/Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit.
Daily Maverick reports South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is “expected” to attend the high level Dar es Salaam summit along with DRC President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
The South African supremo used this week’s edition of his weekly newsletter to opine that leadership and collective will are needed if peace is to be brought to the strife-torn central African country.
Ramaphosa notes the 14 South African soldiers killed in clashes with M23 (Mouvement du 23 Mars) died in violation of a ceasefire and paid tribute to those who “lost their lives in defence of the defenceless: the men, women and children who are the victims of one of the world’s most protracted conflicts”.
He assured South Africans that SA National Defence Force (SANDF) participation in the DRC is “subject to the SAMIDRC (SADC Mission in DRC) mission” and will wind down “in accordance with the implementation of various confidence-building measures and when the ceasefire we have called for takes root”.
“As this happens, securing the safety of our troops remains paramount. The situation in the areas where our troops are stationed remains highly volatile. We are making every effort to ensure that our soldiers are well-equipped and sufficiently supported during the mission,” Ramaphosa wrote, in part.
According to the President, since the attack on the SANDF soldiers, questions were raised on South Africa’s DRC presence, with some saying “we have no business being there.”.
“Violence and conflict in Africa is the business of all Africans. The humanitarian, economic and social effects of these conflicts are felt across borders and regions. Instability in any part of the continent affects the prospects for growth and development across the continent,” Ramaphosa insisted.
G7 condemnation
The G7 (Group of Seven) Foreign Ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) added to the plethora of words around the latest conflict surge in Tshisekedi’s country.
A statement “strongly condemned the Rwanda-backed M23 offensive in eastern DRC” and urged cessation of the offensive “in all directions”.
It further “urged all parties to return to the negotiating table and honour their commitments under the Luanda Process. We also urge all parties to fully commit to a peaceful and negotiated resolution of the conflict”.
Calls for SA withdrawal, or boosted deployment
While there are calls for South Africa to withdraw from the regional bloc mission, others maintain the SANDF deployment should be strengthened and remain in place.
This view comes from SA National Defence Union (Sandu) national secretary Pikkie Greeff with an important proviso – that the South Africans be properly supported logistically and given much-needed air support.
On the other side is Institute for Security Studies (ISS) senior researcher Willem Els.
He is reported by Johannesburg daily The Citizen as saying soldiers under both the African Union (AU) and SADC flags should be withdrawn from the DRC. On his return from Rwanda this week he is reported as telling the newspaper “there is a strong likelihood of an eventual pull-out of SANDF soldiers from DRC.”
“South African troops were sent to their deaths in DRC, as was the case in 2013 when we lost 13 of our best soldiers in the Central African Republic (CAR) capital Bangui. We predict the same will happen in DRC,” he is reported as saying.
Defence expert Helmoed Heitman said South Africa should never have become involved in the DRC as it is too thinly stretched. “Cabo Delgado and the Mozambique Channel do pose a risk so we need to keep an eye on those and ideally return to the former as soon as we can with air support and resume patrols of the latter as soon as the navy can,” he said.
He believes South Africa should decided what role it wants to play and then fund the military accordingly.
United Nations (UN) agency reports of sexual violence in eastern DRC were confirmed by the world body’s Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten.
A statement has her saying: “This renewed offensive with its current expansion to South Kivu has triggered an alarming deterioration of the security situation, with reports of attacks against civilians, including conflict-related sexual violence. These brutal attacks are a horrific reminder of the extreme vulnerability of civilians caught amid armed conflict in eastern DRC and must cease immediately. All perpetrators of such acts must be held to account for their crimes.”
M23 ceasefire
The M23 rebel movement on 3 February in a statement said it had was declaring a ceasefire from 4 February “for humanitarian reasons” in response to the “humanitarian crisis caused by the Kinshasha regime.”
Close to a thousand people are reported to have been killed during fighting around Goma and Sake late last month, and around 3 000 injured. In addition to 14 South African soldiers killed, several Malawian and Tanzanian troops with SAMIDRC lost their lives, and hundreds of M23 rebels are believed to have died in combat.
A 2024 ceasefire announcement from the M23 said it would not capture Goma, yet Goma fell to the rebels in late January, and rebels are now advancing to Bukavu in South Kivu Province. “It must be made clear that we have no intention of capturing Bukavu or other areas. However, we reiterate our commitment to protecting and defending the civilian population and our positions. We urge SAMIDRC to withdraw its forces from the DRC, as we have repeatedly stated that their mission is no longer justified,” the M23 statement concluded.
SA troops trapped
SANDF troops are believed to remain surrounded by hostile forces in Sake and Goma, with no clear plan on how they will be extracted. DRC government soldiers and Romanian mercenaries have surrendered to Rwandan forces, indicating this is a possibility for South Africa.
Numerous aircraft chartered by the SANDF have been tracked flying from South Africa to the DRC and Burundi, but it is not clear what they have been carrying or if South Africa will attempt a hot extraction, or it is sending reinforcements to stop the M23 from further advancing.
SANDF troops have been allowed to retain their weapons, but they may not carry them in terms of a truce reached with the M23.