WeeklySA_AdminCRISIS: Two separate foreign military missions withdraw from the country after unimpressed Kinshasa asked them to leave
By WSAM Reporter
As South Africa’s deployment of thousands of troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) suffered a major setback this week with the death of two of its soldiers and wounding of others by a mortar bomb inside a military base, the UN Refugee Agency expressed concern at the dire consequences facing civilians caught up in the war.
The agency said it was also deeply concerned about an estimated 135 000 internally displaced people fleeing the town of Sake towards the nearby provincial capital Goma, in the wake of the heightened violence last week between government forces and non-state armed groups in eastern DRC.
UNHCR and partners are deeply alarmed by reports of bombs falling on civilian locations, including in the Zaina site in Sake and the Lushagala site in Goma, where as many as 65 000 internally displaced people are sheltering, raising significant concerns for their safety.
Meanwhile, the SA National Defence Force statement said yesterday: “As a result of this indirect fire, the SANDF suffered two fatalities and three members sustained injuries. The injured were taken to the nearest hospital in Goma for medical attention”.
The SANDF said the details of this incident were still sketchy at the moment, further investigation will be conducted to determine the basis of the incident.
Defence and Military Veterans Minister Thandi Modise, her deputy Thabang Makwetla and the Chief of the SANDF chief General Rudzani Maphwanya express their heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased soldiers and wish the injured members a speedy recovery.
In the past week, fighting between DRC armed forces and the M23 rebel group has forced thousands of people to pack up what belongings they can carry and flee – often on foot – to safer areas such as the regional capital, Goma, even though the rebels are closing in on the city.
On Wednesday, the SA government said 2 900 SANDF soldiers were being mobilised for its part in a regional push by the South African Development Community (SADC) to support DRC’s forces against the armed group.
The new effort comes after a separate regional military mission to combat the M23 by East African countries, which the DRC government perceived as a failure and which ended last year. However, speculation remains as to whether the South African soldiers will be able to make any more progress than their East African counterparts did.
The escalating use of heavy artillery and shelling in clashes around Goma poses grave threats to civilian and displaced populations, threatening more casualties and the destruction of buildings used as communal shelters. The presence of unexploded ordnance poses a particular threat to children. Since the first week of February, at least 15 civilians have been killed and 29 injured around Goma and Sake.
“Civilians in eastern DRC are once again bearing the brunt of the escalating conflict,” said Chansa Kapaya, UNHCR regional director for Southern Africa and the regional coordinator for the DRC refugee situation. “Relentless confrontations near Goma have targeted innocent men, women and children, forcing thousands to flee indiscriminate bombings and violence. The situation is tragic and unacceptable. We urgently call on all parties to protect civilians, respect humanitarian law and establish safe corridors for aid.”
What is the conflict in the DRC over?
The DRC has been fighting a host of rebel groups in its resource-rich eastern region – around 100 of them in all – for decades, following regional wars in the 1990s that erupted as Rwanda pursued ‘genocidaires’ responsible for the 1994 mass killings of Tutsis into Congolese territory. Most of the groups are seeking control over natural resources like cobalt and copper, both of which are materials crucial for manufacturing electronics.
Among them is the fearsome M23 group – or the March 23 Movement, named after a March 23, 2009 peace treaty that integrated a precursor armed group (the National Congress for the Defence of the People, or CNDP) into the Congolese army. M23 rebels broke away from the army in 2012. It operates in the hills close to the Rwandan border and says it is fighting in defence of ethnic Congolese Tutsis who, it claims, face tribal discrimination in the DRC.
The United Nations and the DRC, however, say the group is being funded by Rwanda to control Kinshasa’s minerals, causing a serious diplomatic rift in the region. The armed group went quiet after it was pushed out of DRC in 2013, but resurfaced again in 2021, possibly because of renewed Rwandan support.
MIRROR
Briefs
SANDF TO REMOVE ILLEGALS
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) welcomes the court order granted by the North Gauteng High Court to evict the residents who are illegally occupying the Military Land in Marievale, Ekurhuleni.
The eviction process will be completed by 30 June 2024.The High Court ruled that the military must assist with the movement of these people to a place identified by the City of Ekurhuleni.
In the past, the SANDF said it had assisted the City of Ekurhuleni with similar movements when other residents in the area voluntarily vacated the land thereof. The residents who are to be evicted are those who had refused to voluntarily vacate the Military Land between the year 2019 and 2020.
In an urgent court hearing two years ago, Lawyers for Human Rights successfully defended the community, located at the Marievale military base near Nigel, from several attempts by the SANDF and Ekurhuleni Municipality to evict them. – WSAM Reporter
GAZA: ICJ REFUSES SA’S NEW REQUEST
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has rejected a South Africa’s request to impose urgent measures to safeguard Rafah in the Gaza Strip, but stressed that Israel must respect earlier measures imposed late last month at a preliminary stage in a landmark genocide case.
South Africa announced on Tuesday that it had lodged an “urgent request” with the top UN court to consider whether Israel’s military operations targeting the southern Gaza city of Rafah breach provisional orders the court handed down last month in a case alleging genocide.
The International Court of Justice said in a statement, that the “perilous situation” in Rafah “demands immediate and effective implementation of the provisional measures indicated by the Court in its Order of 26 January 2024, which are applicable throughout the Gaza Strip, including in Rafah, and does not demand the indication of additional provisional measures.”
The world court added that Israel “remains bound to fully comply with its obligations under the Genocide Convention and with the said Order, including by ensuring the safety and security of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.” Despite the rejection of its latest request, South Africa welcomed the ICJ’s latest decision. Lehlohonolo Lehana
SANCO EXPELS ZUMA
The SA National Civic Organisation (Sanco) in KwaZulu-Natal has officially expelled former president Jacob Zuma as its provincial chairperson with immediate effect. Sanco in KZN said Zuma absconded and he has been replaced by Lawrence Dube as acting chairperson.
The civic movement’s announcement of the expulsion of Zuma comes a week before the ANC holds its manifesto launch in Durban. Zuma was elected Sanco provincial chairperson last year. Sanco is ANC’s alliance partner. However, last December, Zuma announced he would not vote for the ANC in the upcoming elections, announcing that he would instead campaign for the newly formed MK party.
The MK party was registered with the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), but the ANC has gone to the Electoral Court to challenge the nameThe electoral court is expected to hear the matter over the use of the “MK” on March 19.
MK party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndlela said whether Zuma remained Sanco provincial chairperson or not, had no bearing on the party.”These are two separate institutions, and there is no dependence on Sanco.” – Lehlohonolo Lehana
