March 20, 2025

Why is SADC withdrawing its troops from the DRC?

19 minutes

“It could not by itself stop the advance of M23 without a strong Congolese army. And my sense is that it was not SADC that failed, but the Congolese army that failed.”

Since December 2023, troops from SADC - the Southern African Development Community - have been taking part in a mission in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo tasked with supporting the Congolese army and protecting civilians and infrastructure. They included soldiers from Malawi, Tanzania and South Africa.

But then in January, rebels from the M23 group made lightning advances across the region – taking key towns including the capital Goma. A number of SADC troops were killed in the fighting.

And last week, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa announced a ‘phased withdrawal’.

So is this a sign that the mission has failed? And what will it mean for the government and people of the DRC?

Presenter: Alan @kasujja

Guests: Rear Admiral (JG) Prince Tshabalala, Thierry Bashala (businessman) and Dr. Claude Kabemba, the CEO of Southern Africa Resource Watch.

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By BBC World Service

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