After public interest in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) being deployed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Defence and Military Veterans of South Africa Minister Angie Motshekga reminded the public why the soldiers were in the DRC.
Motshekga said the SANDF is deployed in eastern DRC, in North Kivu province, a place that has been plagued by violence and instability for many years.
The primary threat in this region is due to the M23, an illegal armed group that has been responsible for numerous attacks on both civilian and military targets backed by others.
The presence of many other armed groups in the eastern DRC, vying for control over its rich natural resources, has led to widespread violence, displacement of civilians, and humanitarian crises of immense proportion.
Historical context
Motshekga said one of the pillars of South Africa’s foreign policy position is to “contribute to the creation of peace and stability on the continent and the world”. This was adopted by the democratic government in 1994.
In support of this policy position, South Africa has participated in more than 23 Peace Missions since 1994. In addition, SA’s troops have served in many missions of the United Nations and African Union, inter alia Lesotho, Burundi, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, the DRC, Sudan’s Darfur, the Comoros, and Liberia, to name a few.
On the matter of the DRC, Motshekga said that former president Nelson Mandela, early in democracy, championed peacebuilding and conflict resolution.
She said it is no mistake that on board the SAS OUTENIQUA, he brought together the leader of the then Zaire, Mobutu Sese Seko, and the leader of the opposing fighting forces, Laurent Kabila. These talks ultimately saw the transition from Zaire to what is today known as the DRC.
She also recalled the Inter-Congolese Dialogue South Africa hosted at Sun City for many months.
Additionally, women across the continent, especially those from conflict-ridden countries, also saw it fit to create a framework of dialogue and share their experiences of war, in pursuit of peace.
Furthermore, less than a fortnight ago, women across the continent gathered in our country to seek peace and security in their troubled countries. Among these women were Congolese, some of whom came from areas where the conflict was raging in their country, Motshekga stated.
“South Africa is an integral part of the international community, particularly the African continent, we recognise that our own security, prosperity, and sustainability and that of the African continent are inextricably connected,” she explained.
“Therefore, we understand that our own national interest is intrinsically linked to Africa’s stability, unity, and prosperity. Africa is thus at the centre of South Africa’s foreign and security policies.”
Current situation
Motshekga explained that the deployment of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC) was approved by the Extraordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government held in Windhoek, Republic of Namibia, on May 8, 2023, as a regional response to address the unstable and deteriorating security situation prevailing in the Eastern DRC.
“The deployment of the SAMIDRC is in accordance with the principle of collective self-defence and collective action outlined in the SADC Mutual Defence Pact (2003).
“Meanwhile, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSC) came into being in July 2010 following the Security Council Resolution 1925 to reflect the new phase the country had reached. MONUSCO was preceded by MONUC, which had been established a year earlier, on 30 November 1999,” Motshekga explained.
“MONUSCO was ‘authorised to use all necessary means to carry out its mandate relating, among other things, to the protection of civilians, humanitarian personnel and human rights defenders under imminent threat of physical violence and to support the government of the DRC in its stabilisation and peace consolidation efforts’.”
Motshekga added: “The SANDF is therefore in the DRC as part of MONUSCO on the one hand, and on the other, SAMIDRC, working towards the creation of peace and stability.”