South Sudan sends 750 military troops to the eastern DR Congo in order to join a regional force fighting the M23 rebel group on Wednesday, December 28.
Aggressive fighting in recent months between the DRC Troops and the M23 militant group prompted the East African Community (EAC) bloc to deploy a joint regional force to stop the violence.
“South Sudanese soldiers will leave for DR Congo as soon as possible for a peacekeeping mission, a spokesman for the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF)-Major General Lul Ruai Koang, said during a ceremony in Juba.
“The 750, strong battalion has been undergoing military training for more than 6 months for their deployment”, Major General Lul Ruai Koang added.
During the Juba event, President Salva Kiir instructed the Troops to keep order, urging them to protect the civilians and their properties from any harm.
“I want to tell you that you are one army and no matter which division that you come from, now you are going as soldiers of the Republic of South Sudan,” Salva Kiir said on Wednesday, December 28.
The war in the DRC has also reignited regional tensions, with Kinshasa accusing its smaller neighbour Rwanda of backing the M23 militant group, allegations supported by UN experts as well as the United States, France, and Belgium.
Kigali denies supporting the M23, which has conquered swathes of territory from the Congolese Army and allied militias and advanced towards Goma, the Capital of North Kivu province.
Read Also:M23 Rebels Edge Toward the Eastern City of Goma
It delivered the strategic town of Kibumba to a regional military force last week after heavy international pressure to cease fighting, saying the move was a goodwill gesture done in the name of peace.
But the Congolese Army dismissed the withdrawal as a sham aimed at reinforcing the group’s positions elsewhere.
The M23, a largely Congolese Tutsi militia, first clinched prominence 10 years ago when it captured Goma in 2012, before being driven out and going to ground.
Read Also:Peace Dialogue in DRC as Clashes Continue in Eastern Part
But it re-emerged late last year, claiming the DRC had failed to honour a pledge to integrate its fighters into the army, among other grievances.
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The EAC regional force is expected to include soldiers from South Sudan, Kenya, Burundi, and Uganda. But its intended total size remains unclear.
For peacekeeping in DR Congo, Kenyan soldiers arrived in the country on November 12, 2022, with the Ugandan military later announcing that it would deploy 1,000 Troops by the end of November.
