9 South African peacekeepers killed in clashes with M23 forces in DR Congo

9 South African peacekeepers have been killed in clashes with M23 forces within the Democratic Republic of Congo, together with two from UN peacekeeping pressure MONUSCO, the defence ministry stated Saturday.

“In the middle of this gallant resistance in opposition to M23 rebels, the South African Nationwide Defence Drive (SANDF) misplaced 9 members by Friday, January 24, 2025, after two days of fierce combating,” it stated in a press release.

Seven had been a part of the regional pressure despatched by the Southern African Improvement Group (SADC), and two had been UN peacekeepers, it added.

The variety of wounded was nonetheless being confirmed, the assertion stated.

M23 is one in every of about 100 armed teams which were vying for a foothold in mineral-rich japanese Congo, alongside the border with Rwanda, in a decades-long battle that has created one of many world’s largest humanitarian crises.

On Thursday, M23 took management of the city of Sake, which is simply 27 kilometers (16 miles) west of Goma and one of many final major routes into the provincial capital nonetheless below authorities management, in accordance with U.N. Secretary-Common António Guterres.

Congo, america and U.N. consultants accuse Rwanda of backing M23, which is especially made up of ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the Congolese military greater than a decade in the past.

Rwanda’s authorities denies the declare, however final 12 months acknowledged that it has troops and missile methods in japanese Congo to safeguard its safety, pointing to a buildup of Congolese forces close to the border. U.N. consultants estimate there are as much as 4,000 Rwandan forces in Congo.

Final 12 months, two South African troopers had been killed by a mortar spherical explosion in japanese Congo. They had been a part of the SADC mission serving to Congo’s military to battle in opposition to the rebels.

Since 2021, Congo’s authorities and allied forces, together with SADC and U.N. troops, have been maintaining M23 away from Goma.

The U.N peacekeeping pressure, often known as MONUSCO, entered Congo greater than 20 years in the past and has round 14,000 peacekeepers on the bottom.

With inputs from businesses