Julius Malema, leader of South Africa’s opposition, has called for the immediate withdrawal of South African forces from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where they are stationed as part of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC).
Malema’s request follows the deaths of 13 South African soldiers in recent days during clashes with M23 rebels in Eastern DRC.
On Wednesday, Malema took to X, alleging that South African soldiers had surrendered to the M23, a group believed to be supported by Rwanda. However, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) rejected these claims on Tuesday, stating that its soldiers had not surrendered.
Malema posted:
The truth cannot be denied, the SA army has surrendered, and M23 is disarming them. Today's meeting of the portfolio committee was delayed because the Minister of Defence did not attend.
We cannot stand by and let this happen; we must demand our soldiers be brought back from the DRC immediately.
We must raise the military budget, stop all military equipment contracts, and give Denel the authority to manufacture military gear. Our soldiers need retraining before any redeployment.
Denel SOC Ltd, a South African state-owned enterprise, designs and manufactures various military technologies, including artillery, munitions, and aircraft maintenance.
At the same time, some South African military experts and retired generals have expressed concerns, warning that pulling troops out of the DRC would diminish South Africa’s strength and risk portraying it as vulnerable. They believe that South Africa, as a key power in both the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the broader African continent, should not retreat in the face of a rebel force, even if backed by Rwanda.
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