The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) says the question of withdrawing soldiers from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will be discussed politically.
Kenya’s President William Ruto, as chairperson of the East African Community, has invited the Presidents of Rwanda and the DRC to a meeting in Kenya to discuss the situation in the DRC.
South Africa has now lost 13 SANDF members since last Friday after being caught in the crossfire between the M23 rebels and DRC army.
SANDF spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini says, “I would not want to venture into that. It’s a political space. We do advise from the military point of view what is taking place on the ground and that matter would be left to political principals. There are a lot of consultations between the East African Community, between SADC itself, and the United Nations. So, that is the level where those decisions might come from.”
The death toll has risen to 13 after three more soldiers were killed on Monday and another one succumbed to injuries in hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Last Friday nine South African soldiers were killed in fierce fighting with M23 soldiers who claim to have taken control of Goma.
President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame have spoken telephonically about the security situation in the Eastern DRC.
Government officials in the DRC have announced that the army is now controlling most of the town of Goma. However, the M23 rebels insist that they are in control.
