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SADC Troops to Deploy in East DR Congo to 'Help Restore Peace'

© AFP 2023 ALEXANDER JOEThe Southern African Development Community (SADC) military
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) military - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 09.05.2023
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More than 120 armed groups are reportedly currently operating in major parts of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, destabilizing that part of the country and nearby territories.
The South African Development Community (SADC) approved the deployment of its force to to restore peace and security in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), follows from the community's statement.
The decision was reached at a special summit of the 16-bloc SADC, hosted by Namibia's capital Windhoek and attended by several heads of state, including DRC's Felix Tshisekedi, his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa, Tanzania's Samia Suluhu Hassan, and ministers from the regional group.
Summit members urged a cessation of hostilities between military groups in the DRC and expressed support for the government ahead of the upcoming elections.

"The summit called for immediate regional support to the Government of the DRC to address the prevailing security situation in the Eastern DRC, ahead of the national elections scheduled to be held in December 2023," the communique said.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres at a press conference following a meeting in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 06.05.2023
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The Foreign Office of the DRC reacted favorably to the SADC decision, saying the deployment of troops would help advance peace in the region.

"The force will help bring about the restoration of a definitive peace by enforcing the sacrosanct principle of the inviolability of the borders of each country," the DRC's Foreign Minister Christophe Lutundula said, according to the communique.

Some troops from three SADC countries — South Africa, Tanzania, and Malawi — have already been operating in the eastern DRC since 2013 under the umbrella of a major UN peacekeeping force, MONUSCO.
The SADC troop deployment will also supplement the East African regional military force, which since December have occupied some areas previously occupied by the M23 rebel group.

"There is a need for the SADC to work together with the East African Community and other [regional groups] in order to better coordinate our efforts in support of government and people of the DRC," Namibian President Hage Geingob told the summit.

The M23 rebel group, which mainly operates in eastern DRC, has been conducting a major campaign against government troops in recent years, seizing large portions of the country’s territory.
On May 5, the UN Refugee Agency stated that persistent attacks by armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to cause forced displacement and extreme hardship for millions of Congolese. The agency added that the country has 6.2 million internally displaced people, while more than 1.3 million have become refugees.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, during his Saturday visit to Burundi, urged a cessation of hostilities in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan.
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