Soldiers from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo drive past locals fleeing a resumption of fightings, East of Goma, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, 07 February 2024. A resumption of fightings between the M23 Movement rebels and the pro-government Wazalendo militias has triggered a massive movement of population, sending on the road thousands of refugees are heading towards Goma after fleeing the town of Sake in Masisi territory. According to the UNHCR, in 2024, as a result of continuing insecurity and an alarming resurgence of violence generated by non-state armed groups in the past two years, nearly 6 million people are internally displaced across the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu and Tanganyika. EPA-EFE/MOSES KASEREKASouth African troops are in Congo as part of a deployment by Southern African regional bloc SADC to help the government fight rebel groups.
"Four members who were critically injured have been hospitalised, whilst the rest who suffered minor injuries are expected to be discharged soon," the South African National Defence Force said in a statement.
In February another mortar attack on a South African base in Congo killed two and wounded three others. At the time President Cyril Ramaphosa hit back at opposition criticism that the South African contingent in Congo was ill-equipped.
(Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Writing by Tannur Anders;Editing by Alexander Winning)
Comments
Scroll down to load comments...