SADC Troops Exit Eastern Congo as M23 Offensive Intensifies
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has initiated the full withdrawal of its regional peacekeeping force from the volatile eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The pullout marks a decisive end to the coalition’s brief but turbulent mission to stabilize a mineral-rich region gripped by insurgency, particularly by the resurgent M23 rebel movement.
Convoys of armored trucks, troop carriers, and supply vehicles began exiting Goma, the embattled capital of North Kivu province, earlier this week. The retreat, staged through Rwanda with logistical support, represents the dismantling of a security effort that saw troops from South Africa, Malawi, and Tanzania deploy in 2023 under the SADC’s regional security mandate.
By May 30, all personnel and equipment are expected to have departed Congolese soil. A Tanzanian staging area in Chato has been designated as the primary repatriation hub for returning forces.
The withdrawal follows months of intense combat between SADC forces and M23 rebels. The mission’s unraveling became inevitable after the deaths of 17 soldiers—14 South Africans and three Malawians—during coordinated M23 offensives in January. These staggering losses, coupled with the rebels’ seizure of Goma and Bukavu, two of eastern Congo’s most strategic cities, rendered the peacekeeping presence unsustainable.
Despite their training and firepower, SADC troops were ultimately outmaneuvered and overwhelmed. The M23 fighters—allegedly supported by 4,000 Rwandan soldiers, according to UN experts—rapidly consolidated control over key logistical and population centers, fueling speculation of a planned march on Kinshasa, Congo’s distant capital.
Kinshasa has long accused Kigali of backing the M23, a claim Rwanda vehemently denies. Nevertheless, the withdrawal’s coordination through Rwandan territory has raised eyebrows, especially given the United Nations’ earlier findings linking Rwandan military assistance to M23 battlefield gains.
The contradiction is stark: while Rwanda offers “safe passage” to SADC forces retreating from defeat, its alleged proxies press further into Congolese territory. The United Nations has yet to offer updated verification on the extent of foreign involvement, but the region remains on edge as tensions mount between DRC and its neighbors.
As the military situation deteriorates, eastern Congo is sinking deeper into humanitarian catastrophe. Over 7 million civilians are now displaced, many fleeing daily gunfire, indiscriminate shelling, and forced recruitment by armed groups. Aid organizations warn that the collapse of security may render relief operations untenable.
The SADC’s departure eliminates a key buffer between vulnerable populations and encroaching rebel forces. Hospitals in Goma and Bukavu are reportedly at capacity, and refugee flows into neighboring Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi are surging once again.
SADC’s decision to terminate its peacekeeping deployment underlines the complexity and danger of foreign interventions in the eastern Congo. What began as a bold regional initiative to suppress militancy and restore order has concluded with tactical retreat, diplomatic strain, and widespread human suffering.
As the M23 consolidates control, the question remains: who, if anyone, will fill the vacuum left behind?
