The South African government is working with the United Nations on withdrawing its peacekeeping forces from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where they helped deter the M23 rebel group, South African Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Bantu Holomisa said on Wednesday.
"In terms of what has happened there, it is clear that these troops were let down by other troops, our neighbors ... Our government is in contact with the United Nations so that they can facilitate the transportation of those people out of Goma," Holomisa told reporters.
During the same briefing, South African Defense Minister Angie Motshekga said that South African forces in the DRC had suffered no casualties in the past 48 hours, as South Africa had requested a ceasefire with the M23.
After the failure of Angolan mediation efforts, the M23 anti-government armed group has resumed an offensive in the eastern DRC in recent weeks. The Congolese authorities accuse neighboring Rwanda of supporting the rebels and urge it to withdraw its troops from the country. Rwanda has denied all the accusations.