Second group of SA troops returning home from DRC to arrive on Sunday

The second group of South African soldiers returning home after being deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of the Sadc peacekeeping mission is expected to arrive on Sunday afternoon, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) confirmed.

They are scheduled to land at Air Force Base Waterkloof between 3pm and 5pm while a third group is expected to return on Monday afternoon.

The SANDF said, the returning troops would undergo the standard demobilisation programme, which includes health screenings, psychological support and reunification services.

The first group of 249 soldiers returned on Friday, landing at Air Force Base Waterkloof in Pretoria after experiencing delays due to technical and logistical challenges.

After they arrived they travelled to Tempe military base in Bloemfontein, arriving in the early hours of Saturday.

The mission was sent to assist Kinshasa's fight against rebel groups in the DRC's war-ravaged eastern borderlands in December 2023.

The 16-member Sadc said in mid-March it had terminated the mandate and would begin a phased withdrawal of its force from the DRC.

According to the SANDF, the withdrawal was informed by the directive issued by the Sadc extraordinary summit of heads of state and government meeting held virtually on March 13.

The bodies of 14 SANDF soldiers killed when M23 rebels captured the key city of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, were repatriated to South Africa in February.

Earlier this year, scores of SANDF soldiers were wounded in clashes between M23 rebel forces and DRC government troops.

About 200 soldiers returned in February from the DRC.

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