S. Africa soldiers killed in DR Congo due home Wednesday

CAPE TOWN — The remains of 14 South African soldiers killed in the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo more than a week ago are due home Wednesday, the defence force said, amid calls for all the troops to be withdrawn.

The defence minister and army chief were grilled by a parliament committee Tuesday over South Africa's role in eastern DRC, where the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group has made significant territorial gains.

The defence ministry announced the deaths of nine South African soldiers on January 25. The killing of three more troops was announced three days later, while two more men died of their wounds.

Most of the casualties were part of a mission deployed by the 16-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) in 2023 to support the DRC government amid growing unrest in its mineral-rich east.

At least two of those killed were in a separate UN-mandated peacekeeping force.

Reflecting frustration about the lack of information about the casualties and situation of the troops still in eastern DRC, MPs in the committee hearing demanded to know when the dead and wounded would be brought home.

"I got a message to say there is assurance that the repatriation of our members is going to take place tomorrow," defence force chief General Rudzani Maphwanya said. He did not give details.

He and the defence minister, Angie Motshekga, defended South Africa's role in the DRC, where its troops make up the bulk of the SADC deployment alongside smaller numbers from Malawi and Tanzania.

But they offered little information about the deployment, amid reports that the soldiers were under-resourced and unable to leave.

"Our members had been resourced. They've been properly trained. We have done everything that needed to be done in order to protect those that were in the battlefield," Maphwanya said.

The second largest party in South Africa's government of national unity, the Democratic Alliance (DA), issued a statement after the committee hearing, complained that Motshekga had "failed to respond to critical questions regarding the situation on the ground".

"The DA strongly reiterates our call for the immediate withdrawal of South African troops from the DRC," it said.

The increase in fighting has spurred several calls for talks and Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame are expected to meet in the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam on Saturday.