Ramaphosa denies accusation that troops are not ready for DRC mission
The SANDF says two killed and three wounded by mortar bomb in the Democratic Republic of Congo
15 February 2024 - 11:30
by Alexander Winning and Wendell Roelf
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SA’s military said on Thursday two of its soldiers were killed and three wounded by a mortar bomb in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as President Cyril Ramaphosa struck back against opposition claims that they were ill-equipped.
SA said earlier this week that it would send 2,900 troops as part of its contribution to a force deployed by the Southern African Development Community to help fight rebel groups in the DRC’s restive eastern region.
The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) said in a statement posted on X that a mortar bomb landed inside one of the SA contingent’s military bases on Wednesday.
“As a result of this indirect fire, the SANDF suffered two fatalities and three members sustained injuries. The injured were taken to the nearest hospital in Goma for medical attention,” the statement said.
An investigation into the incident would be conducted, the SANDF added.
EFF leader Julius Malema weighed in on the deaths, telling a media conference that the SA army was ill equipped for such missions. Malema deplored the conditions of service in the SANDF, noting an incident in October when the Lohatla training area and army base in the Northern Cape burnt down during a veld fire, killing six soldiers and injuring three.
The DA accused Ramaphosa of sending troops into a war zone unprepared. “Two days ago, we warned him against deploying more troops to the eastern DRC for the simple reason that the SANDF does not have the capacity to effectively pursue an anti-insurgency campaign against the M23 rebels and neither does it have the prime mission equipment to support the ground forces,” it said in a statement.
The M23 is a Tutsi-led group that recently stepped up its offensive in the eastern DRC.
Ramaphosa acknowledged the deaths and defended SA’s mission in response to questions from journalists later on Thursday.
“Yes, we do have the military hardware to engage in military operations such as those we are finding in eastern DRC. SA has over many years participated in peacekeeping missions in various parts of our continent,” he said.
Update: February 15 2024 This story has been updated with new information.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Ramaphosa denies accusation that troops are not ready for DRC mission
The SANDF says two killed and three wounded by mortar bomb in the Democratic Republic of Congo
SA’s military said on Thursday two of its soldiers were killed and three wounded by a mortar bomb in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as President Cyril Ramaphosa struck back against opposition claims that they were ill-equipped.
SA said earlier this week that it would send 2,900 troops as part of its contribution to a force deployed by the Southern African Development Community to help fight rebel groups in the DRC’s restive eastern region.
The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) said in a statement posted on X that a mortar bomb landed inside one of the SA contingent’s military bases on Wednesday.
“As a result of this indirect fire, the SANDF suffered two fatalities and three members sustained injuries. The injured were taken to the nearest hospital in Goma for medical attention,” the statement said.
An investigation into the incident would be conducted, the SANDF added.
EFF leader Julius Malema weighed in on the deaths, telling a media conference that the SA army was ill equipped for such missions. Malema deplored the conditions of service in the SANDF, noting an incident in October when the Lohatla training area and army base in the Northern Cape burnt down during a veld fire, killing six soldiers and injuring three.
The DA accused Ramaphosa of sending troops into a war zone unprepared. “Two days ago, we warned him against deploying more troops to the eastern DRC for the simple reason that the SANDF does not have the capacity to effectively pursue an anti-insurgency campaign against the M23 rebels and neither does it have the prime mission equipment to support the ground forces,” it said in a statement.
The M23 is a Tutsi-led group that recently stepped up its offensive in the eastern DRC.
Ramaphosa acknowledged the deaths and defended SA’s mission in response to questions from journalists later on Thursday.
“Yes, we do have the military hardware to engage in military operations such as those we are finding in eastern DRC. SA has over many years participated in peacekeeping missions in various parts of our continent,” he said.
Update: February 15 2024
This story has been updated with new information.
Reuters
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