South African troops remain surrounded by hostile forces at their bases in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), facing dwindling supplies and uncertainty about Pretoria’s plans to extract them.
The death toll among South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers engaged in clashes with M23 rebels, who are heavily backed by Rwanda, rose to 14 over the weekend after another soldier succumbed to injuries sustained during battles between 23 and 27 January.
These 14 soldiers were among at least 773 people killed as fighting escalated in and around Goma, the capital of North Kivu province and the largest city in eastern DRC. The conflict intensified as DRC government forces, supported by regional troops, attempted to counter the M23 rebels, who seized control of the city last weekend.
After initially halting the M23 advance on 23 and 24 January at the cost of nine soldiers, the SANDF lost three more near Goma airport on 27 January. Two additional soldiers later died from their injuries. By Sunday, around 2,000 SANDF troops remained trapped at their bases in Goma airport and Mubambiro, approximately 23km to the northwest.
Reports emerged over the weekend of cargo planes departing from Waterkloof Air Force Base to Lubumbashi in the DRC and neighbouring Burundi, sparking speculation that the SANDF might be preparing for an extraction. However, the feasibility of such an operation remains unclear, as both bases are surrounded by M23 rebels and Rwandan forces. Any evacuation would require either negotiations with M23 and Rwanda or a risky military operation to break through enemy lines.
The SANDF maintains that its troops are not hostages and have not been disarmed. However, a defence expert reported that while the troops still have their weapons, a ceasefire agreement with M23 may prevent them from carrying them.
The SANDF soldiers at Mubambiro are part of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in DRC (SAMIDRC), which also includes Malawian and Tanzanian forces, some of whom also lost their lives in recent clashes. Meanwhile, the troops stationed at Goma airport are attached to either SAMIDRC or the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the DRC, MONUSCO.
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