By 
President Cyril Ramaphosa has finally broken his silence on the conflict taking place in the eastern DRC where 13 members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) lost their lives.
Civil society and political party have been calling on Ramaphosa and the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Ms Angie Motshekga to take the nation into their confidence about the situation in the DRC. Some have called on the return of the SANDF as speculations that they are ill equipped and have surrendered to the M23 rebel group gained ground on various platforms on social media.
Without saying much on the situation on the ground, President Ramaphosa has dismissed the speculations and said the SANDF will remain in the DRC as they are part of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) peace keeping mission, together with the United Nations.
“We are concerned about the speculation about the state of our troops and the battle conditions. All South Africans must rally behind our brave men and women who have dedicated their lives to bringing peace in our continent.
South Africa’s military presence in the eastern DRC is not a declaration of war against any country or state. The members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) that are in the DRC are part of both SADC and United Nations (UN) efforts to bring peace and protect thousands of lives that are constantly threatened by the conflict in the DRC. The presence of the SAMIDRC forces demonstrates a commitment of SADC member states to supporting the DRC in its efforts to achieve lasting peace and stability and ultimately, create an enabling environment for sustainable development and prosperity,” said President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Following a video that went viral showing SANDF soldiers waving a white flag, there was increased concern that the soldier are not well equipped and ran out of ammunition; which gave rise to the call for the SANDF to return home; however, Ramaphosa says there are efforts put in place to ensure that forces are well equipped to take on the rebel group.
“The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Ms Angie Motshekga and the Chief of the SANDF, Gen Rudzani Maphwanya and SAMIDRC Force Commander, Maj Gen Monwabisi Dyakopu are working to ensure that the SAMIDRC forces remain well equipped and sufficiently supported during this critical mission,” said Ramaphosa.
The President says the fighting is the result of an escalation by the rebel group, M23 and Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) militia engaging the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) and attacking peacekeepers from the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC).
Diplomatic efforts are underway to silence the guns in the DRC, the UN Security Council (UNSC) also held an emergency meeting to come up with a solution to the problem.
“We welcome the position that was recently adopted by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) during its special sitting on the situation in the DRC, which calls for an immediate end to hostilities, the reversal of territorial expansion by the M23, the exit of external forces from the DRC and the resumption of peace talks under the Nairobi Process.
The territorial integrity of the DRC must be respected in accordance with the United Nations Charter on the respect of sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of other states.
We call on all parties to this conflict to fully embrace the current diplomatic efforts that are aimed at finding a peaceful resolution, including honoring the Luanda Process agreements. We must silence the guns on our continent for the attainment of inclusive development and prosperity,” appealed Ramaphosa.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has extended his condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers, calling them brave.
“On behalf of the Government and the people of our country, I express our sincerest condolences to their families, their loved ones and colleagues. We bow our heads in honor of their heroic and gallant fight for peace.
We honour and mourn them.
All necessary support is being provided to the families of the deceased and the families of the injured. The process to repatriate the remains of the deceased is underway,” he said.
