CAPE TOWN: On Thursday, the West African armed forces announced that they had begun removing their security forces from the rebel-held eastern Congo.
The troops would go through neighboring Rwanda to Tanzania and then fly home from it, according to the South African National Defense Force, who announced earlier this week that they had begun moving out.
Additionally, peacekeeping personnel from Tanzania and Malawi have begun to leave the Congo. The three countries had contributed troops to a peacekeeping force in southern Africa, but they were still stranded in the eastern Congo after M23 rebels, supported by Rwanda, launched an offensive in late January and seized control of Goma, a crucial area.
In Januaryfighting with M23 resulted in the deaths of four West African men and three Malaiwan warriors. The local body for southern Africa decided in March to call on the troops to return home and close their peacekeeping mission.
On X, Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe claimed that his nation would provide peacekeepers and their technology with secure passage and escort.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, hundreds of stranded Congolese authorities soldiers and police officers were starting to be flown up to Kinshasa, the country’s capital, on Wednesday.
According to researchers from the UN, M23 is under the control of Goma and a second main city in eastern Congo, and it is supported by around 4, 000 forces from Rwanda.
Conversations between Congo and Rwanda have been facilitated by Qatar and supported by the United States, and they both claim to be working toward a peace deal.
