southern Africa promises to deploy troops in the east of the country

The organization of southern African countries promised Monday, May 8 to send troops to the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the grip of violence, but without specifying a date or their number, during a summit in Windhoek (Namibia). This meeting of the SADC (Southern African Development Community) “approved the deployment of forces” in order to “support the DRC to restore peace and security in eastern DRC”the organization said.

The summit, opened by Namibian President Hage Geingob, brought together South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Congolese Felix Tshisekedi, and Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan. Angola, Malawi and Zambia were represented by ministers. “The summit noted with great concern the instability and deterioration of the situation in eastern DRC and reiterated its strong condemnation of the resurgence of conflicts and activities of armed groups, including M23 rebels”can we read in a press release.

The summit in Windhoek also wished “a coordinated approach” based on existing deployments “within the framework of multilateral and bilateral agreements” in the troubled eastern region of the DRC. He calls on the DRC government to “put in place the necessary conditions and measures to ensure effective coordination”. Numerous armed groups have plagued this region for decades, many of which are a legacy of regional wars that erupted in the 1990s-2000s.