Third group of SANDF troops to return from DRC

The third batch of South African National Defence Force (SANDF) troops from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is expected to land at the Waterkloof Air Force Base in Pretoria today.

Two hundred and forty-nine SANDF members have undergone demobilisation at the Tempe military base in Bloemfontein.

The soldiers are set to return to their base camps today.

This follows their arrival from the DRC on Friday. The phased withdrawal of troops that were part of a peacekeeping mission of the UN and SADC follows the termination of their deployment to the eastern DRC.

The SANDF’s Major-General Godfrey Thulare says, “For each group, they are going to spend four days in Bloemfontein; the first group, which was here since Friday, is actually going back to their units. This group that will arrive this morning – they will start with the demobilisation programme in the morning. We will give them time to rest, and then after breakfast, we can take them through the demobilisation for three days. The process is the same for all the groups, and at the end we will send them back home with the intention that they are ready to be reintegrated into their communities and their families.”

WATCH: 2nd batch of SANDF troops back on home soil:

SANDF Chief Rhudzani Maphwanya says the withdrawal of troops from the DRC has been a difficult process.

He says many consultations were conducted with a number of entities, including the M23 rebels. Maphwanya also says a decision has been taken to withdraw all foreign troops to pave the way for peace talks in the DRC.

South Africa lost 14 soldiers in fierce fighting between the M23 rebels and the Congolese military in the city of Goma in northern DRC.

Maphwanya addressed the media at the Waterkloof Air Force Base in Pretoria during the arrival of the second batch of SANDF soldiers from the DRC.

“It has been a collective effort from SADC. From the political level, as commanders, we have been coming together more frequently because we were concerned that our young stars must come back. So we went to Goma and had an engagement with Makenga; it is not a secret that the leader of the M23 and we came to an agreement and said it is indeed necessary to negotiate and engage so that peace prevails in the eastern DRC.”