Tragedy Strikes: Two South African Soldiers Killed, Three Injured in Eastern Congo
Amid escalating unrest in the region, tragedy struck when a mortar landed in a South African base in eastern Congo, claiming the lives of two soldiers and leaving three others injured, the South African armed forces reported on Thursday.
The South African National Defence Force, responsible for overseeing the country’s armed forces, revealed that the mortar explosion, which occurred on Wednesday, was believed to be a result of “indirect fire.” An investigation is underway to ascertain responsibility for the incident.
South Africa has deployed soldiers to Congo as part of the Southern African Development Community’s mission to combat armed rebel groups in the east. This week, South Africa announced plans to send an additional 2,900 soldiers to eastern Congo, though it remains unclear if the casualties were part of this new deployment.
The base targeted by the mortar attack was located in the North Kivu province, according to Siphiwe Dlamini, spokesperson for the South African National Defence Force. The injured soldiers were swiftly transported to a hospital in the city of Goma.
The region has witnessed a surge in violence in recent weeks, with many attributing the attacks to the M23 rebel group, which has been engaged in conflict with Congolese soldiers for years. The Congolese government accuses M23 of receiving military support from neighboring Rwanda, an allegation denied by Rwanda.
Recent statements from M23 suggest a renewed offensive in eastern Congo, raising concerns of a potential assault on Goma, a city the group seized a decade ago. The escalating violence has resulted in over 1 million people being displaced since November, exacerbating one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with 6.9 million already displaced.
The Norwegian Refugee Council highlighted the imminent threat posed by armed groups advancing toward the key town of Sake, near Goma, warning of catastrophic consequences for the aid system in eastern Congo. “The isolation of Goma, home to over 2 million people and hosting hundreds of thousands of displaced individuals…would bring disastrous consequences to the region,” the NRC cautioned on Thursday.
