WeeklySA_AdminMISSION: Urgent summit of Southern African countries’ security organ reviews contentious presence of the region’s peacekeeping force
By Own Correspondent
The security organ of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) yesterday convened a virtual extraordinary summit of a small group of heads of state to deliberate on the escalating conflict in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The organ has recommended the withdrawal of the SADC troops, of which South African troops are part, according to sources close to yesterday’s deliberations. Approximately 2 000 South African soldiers are deployed in the DRC as part of the SADC mission.
The recommendation from the “Extraordinary Organ Troika Summit” – still kept under wraps – is to be presented to the larger summit of SADC heads of state to be convened “soon on a date to be confirmed”, according to a SADC communique.
President Cyril Ramaphosa attended the security organ, also referred to as the SADC Organ on Politics Defence and Security comprises some of the heads of state – as did Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, in her capacity as the chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation.
Also in attendance were Malawi President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, Zambia President Hakainde Hichilema and DRC President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo.
The summit received the latest updates on the security situation in the Eastern part of the DRC and deliberated on “the Report of the Defence Sub-Committee on the Review of the SAMIDRC Mandate”.
In her opening statement as chairperson, Hassan underscored that the SADC region would do its utmost best to assist the DRC and reiterated SADC’s solidarity with the people of DRC in the spirit of unity and cooperation.
The meeting expressed its deepest condolences to the Democratic Republic Congo, the Republics of South Africa and Malawi, and the United Republic of Tanzania for the deceased soldiers who lost their lives during the recent attacks in the Eastern DRC, and whilst serving under the SAMIDRC, and wished those injured a speedy recovery.
Fourteen South Africans are among at least 773 people killed in and around Goma, the capital of North Kivu province and largest city in eastern DRC, as fighting intensified between DRC government forces backed by regional forces and the M23 rebels who seized control of the city late January this year.
Morale among the remaining South African National Defence Force members is now at an all-time low following the deaths of their compatriots.
Summit also reiterated its commitment to supporting interventions aimed at bringing lasting peace and security in the Eastern DRC, in line with the SADC Mutual Defence Pact of 2003.
The ongoing violent conflict risks spreading to the entire nation and even becoming regional if there is no immediate intervention, Catholic Church’s Caritas Internationalis (CI) has warned.
In a statement that the development arm of the Catholic Church delivered at the ongoing 58th regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the organisation highlighted the widespread effects of the conflict that has claimed at least 7 000 lives.
“We express our deep concern over the worsening security and humanitarian crisis in the eastern DRC, which risks spreading to the entire country and region if no action is taken,” Caritas Internationalis said at the UNHRC session that started on February 24 and is set to end on April 4.
It added, “The looting of humanitarian supplies, the closure of the airports in Goma and Bukavu, and insecurity on major roads have made access to humanitarian aid extremely difficult.” On February 16, M23 rebels captured the second-largest city of Eastern DRC, Bukavu, according to a Reuters report.
In the capture of Bukavu, a key mining city in South Kivu province, learning institutions and businesses have been disrupted with a mass exodus of residents and Congolese soldiers. The conflict has also displaced about 600,000 people, among other dehumanizing atrocities.
On February 28, M23 rebels abducted at least 130 patients from two hospitals in Goma, suspecting them of being Congolese soldiers or members of the pro-government Wazalendo militia.
On Tuesday, Reuters reported that a blast targeted a convoy of rebel leaders in Bukavu, killing 17 people.
The city has been under M23 control since February, with both the government and rebels blaming each other for the attack.
60 RAPE VICTIMS A DAY – UN
HORROR: A total 895 cases of rape reported to humanitarian personnel in the last two weeks of February alone…
By Own Correspondent
Insecurity and horrific sexual violence have left tens of thousands in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), fleeing across borders with no sign of the exodus stopping, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).
The UNHCR reports that a staggering 895 cases of rape were reported to humanitarian personnel in the last two weeks of February alone – an average of more than 60 a day. “Near the frontlines, sexual violence and human rights abuses remain rampant, as is the looting and destruction of civilian homes and businesses,” said Patrick Eba, Deputy Director of UNHCR’s Division of International Protection.
Speaking in Geneva on Tuesday, Eba told journalists that that North and South Kivu provinces remain unstable, with “hundreds of thousands of people on the move”. Close to 80 000 people have fled armed clashes between Congolese Government forces and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels into neighbouring countries and some 61 000 have arrived in Burundi since January, Eba said.
The UNHCR official highlighted other risks faced by civilians, including the dangers posed by explosive remnants of war to children and farmers trying to tend their fields. On Monday, the UN humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA) reported that armed men had raided at least two hospitals in North Kivu’s capital Goma, abducting dozens of patients.
The fighting has also impeded humanitarian access to people on the move. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has had to pause its aid operations in conflict-affected areas but was resuming emergency food assistance “in some parts of North Kivu” according to a post on social media platform X on Tuesday morning, aiming to reach over 210,000 people. Inside North and South Kivu, “significant” population movements have continued, in line with reported M23 orders issued to internally displaced people (IDPs) to leave the camps around Goma, UNHCR’s Mr. Eba said.
“Today, only around 17 000 people are left residing in IDP sites, schools and churches around Goma, while an estimated 414 000 of their neighbours have been on the move for the past four weeks, encouraged by the de facto authorities to return to their villages of origin,” he explained.
Given the widespread insecurity in eastern DRC, “many more” people may need to cross borders in search of safety, Eba warned.
