SADC leaders condemn attacks in DRC and vow to respond

Leaders from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) held crisis talks in Zimbabwe on Friday about the escalating violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They condemned the recent attacks by the rebel group M23.

SADC vows to respond to M23 attacks in DRC

The SADC leaders also called for a collective effort to respond to the advance of the M23 rebel group.

It comes after M23 captured most of Goma this week. During the advance of the rebel group, 16 SADC soldiers were killed, 13 from South Africa and three from Malawi.

The deaths of the South African soldiers have led to criticism of President Cyril Ramaphosa and his government and increased pressure on him to pull the country’s troops out of the country.

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Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the current SADC chairman, stressed that “the peace and security of our region is a shared obligation.” This is despite South Africa providing the majority of troops in the DRC region.

“To this end, our region stands ready to intensify efforts to protect SADC citizens from all forms of instability in line with the SADC Mutual Defence Pact,” said Mnangagwa.

SADC leaders call for stability in region

The SADC leaders also said the recent attacks by M23 has worsened the security and humanitarian situation in the DRC. They called for the restoration of water and electricity in the region, as well as means of communication and the opening of routes for the delivery of food and other essentials.

It also said the attacks violated the ceasefire that was brokered through the Luanda Process on 30 July 2024.

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SADC said it decided in May 2023 to send a peacekeeping mission to the DRC to secure the region and “defend its territorial integrity”.

“In this regard, the summit noted that these objectives have not yet been realised,” it said.

M23 rebels and Rwanda

The M23 rebels are believed to be supported by Rwanda, although the country has never confirmed its involvement in the conflict.

Rwanda has accused the DRC of supporting the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), an armed group created by former Hutu leaders who massacred Tutsis during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

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Rwanda President Paul Kagame this week, in a diplomatic spat with South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, said the SADC troops in eastern DRC are “not a peacekeeping force” and should not be involved in the conflict.

Meanwhile, the DRC has accused Rwanda of waging an offensive to profit from the region’s mineral wealth.

A report by UN experts in July supported the claims, finding that Rwanda has thousands of troops in eastern DRC — and holds “de facto control” over the M23.

Additional reporting by AFP