President Cyril Ramaphosa vowed on Monday to continue providing support to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the face of nationwide calls to withdraw troops following the death of 14 South African soldiers.
"Achieving a lasting peace and security for the eastern DRC and the region requires the collective will of the community of nations," Ramaphosa said in a statement, adding that "South Africa will not let up in its support to the people of the DRC."
Since Goma was taken by Rwanda-backed M23 fighters last week, some 100,000 internally displaced people have left the jam-packed hillside where they had set up several years ago.
According to UN officials, the dead peacekeepers include 14 South African peacekeepers, three Malawians, and a peacekeeper serving with the UN mission in Congo, whose nationality has not been revealed.
There have been growing speculations since over the fate of the South African peacekeeping mission in the DRC after the deaths of South African soldiers, with President Ramaphosa repeatedly reaffirming South Africa’s commitment to peacekeeping efforts.
'Battle conditions'
“We are concerned about the speculation about the state of our troops and the battle conditions. All South Africans must rally behind our brave men and women who have dedicated their lives to bringing peace in our continent,” the president said.
Ramaphosa also added that “South Africa’s military presence in the eastern DRC is not a declaration of war against any country or state” but was part of “efforts to bring peace and protect thousands of lives that are constantly threatened by the conflict in the DRC.”
The M23 offensive in the mineral-rich eastern DRC is the latest to scar a region that has seen relentless conflict involving dozens of armed groups kill an estimated six million people over three decades.
➤Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for more stories.
