SANDF names soldiers killed in DRC

SANDF names soldiers killed in DRC

THE SA National Defence Force (SANDF) has named the two soldiers who were killed in mortar fire in the eastern Democratic Republic Congo a few days ago.

The army said Captain Simon Mkhulu Bobe and Lance Corporal Irven Thabang Semono were the soldiers who were killed in that country.

This follows the deployment of 2,900 SANDF members to be part of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission to replace the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC (Monusco).

Monusco has been in the DRC for more than 25 years and its withdrawal came after the government of President Felix Tshisekedi asked that it should pull out of the country.

However, last week it was reported that two members of the SANDF were killed and three others wounded in mortar fire .

“Both (deceased) soldiers were working at 1 South African Infantry Battalion and were deployed with 2 South African Infantry Battalion when they met their untimely death,” said the SANDF.

The army said the three soldiers who were injured were still in hospital in Goma.

The SANDF is part of the SADC mission that has been deployed in the eastern DRC to deal with the M23 rebel group and other rebels in the volatile region.

President Cyril Ramaphosa defended the deployment of the army when he was briefing the Cape Town Press Clubl last week. He said this was part of the SADC mission.

The SANDF has also deployed almost 1 500 soldiers in northern Mozambique to fight insurgency,. They were part of the SADC mission as well.

Ramaphosa said South Africa had been participating in peace missions across Africa and the world since the dawn of democracy.

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