The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has successfully repatriated all its soldiers wounded in clashes with Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the military announced on Wednesday.
The final group of injured troops arrived back in South Africa and have been categorised into three levels of care: critical, non-critical and those requiring psychological and social intervention, according to an SANDF statement.
“The SANDF remains committed to the welfare of our soldiers. We, therefore, urge the public to respect and afford privacy to our members and their families during the healing process,” the statement read.
It, however, did not disclose the total number of repatriated personnel.
This followed an earlier repatriation of the most critically injured soldiers earlier in the week.
The repatriation comes after intense fighting between SANDF troops and M23 rebels, which has left 14 South African soldiers dead. Their remains were flown home on February 13.
South Africa deployed troops to eastern DRC as part of a Southern African Development Community mission to support the Congolese government against M23 rebels who seized control of Goma, the region’s main city, on January 27.
The escalating violence has intensified concerns over the safety of South African troops and the broader stability of the region as diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict continue.
JN/APA