On Tuesday, April 29, members of the SADC mission began withdrawing from conflict-affected eastern DR Congo, transiting through Rwanda.
According to sources who spoke to KIGALI DAILY NEWS, vehicles transporting at least 57 troops and several civilian trucks carrying military equipment departed from the La Corniche Border Post in Rubavu District at around 11 a.m. Their next stop was the Rusumo border crossing into Tanzania.
The departing contingent included 32 South African soldiers, 16 from Malawi, and 9 Tanzanians, and they were escorted by the Rwanda Defence Force. From Rusumo, the group is expected to proceed to Chato in Tanzania.
These SADC forces were part of a Congolese government coalition fighting against AFC/M23 rebels in North Kivu province. Their exit through Rwanda was facilitated after the SADC formally requested Rwanda’s assistance in mid-April.
The Congolese coalition—which includes the FDLR militia, Burundian forces, and Wazalendo groups—has faced significant setbacks since January, when AFC/M23 forces took control of Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu.
On March 28, an agreement was reached between the SADC mission and the M23 rebels, allowing the South Africa-led SADC troops to withdraw from eastern DR Congo with their weapons and equipment.
