-
The Minister has welcomed members of the SA National Defence Force from the now concluded Southern African Development Community Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (SAMIDRC).
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) Chief, Rudzani Maphwanya, says the withdrawal of the troops from the peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was not an easy process.
The first group of 249 arrived on Friday from Tanzania as it has been used as an assembly point. On Sunday, 257 soldiers landed back in the country.
He says many consultations were conducted with a number of entities, including the M23 rebels.
General Maphwanya says the main purpose was to find peace in the DRC and a decision was taken that all foreign troops must be withdrawn to pave the way for peace talks in Congo.
South Africa lost 14 soldiers as M23 rebels advanced on the city of Goma earlier this year.
Maphwanya was addressing the media at the Waterkloof Air Force Base in Pretoria.
“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.”
WATCH: 2nd batch of SANDF troops back on home soil:
