Highlights: DRC: three Tanzanian SADC soldiers killed by mortar fire in North Kivu. They were part of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) troops deployed. This East African force is made up of soldiers from South Africa, Tanzania and Malawi to help government forces as well as pro-government militias fight against the M23 rebels. According to the Congolese army, the shells were fired on Thursday April 4 by M 23 rebels from nearby hills. The SADc camp is located at the entrance to the town of Saké, on the road leading to Goma, the provincial capital.

In the DRC, three Tanzanian soldiers have died during fighting in recent days in the east of the country. They were part of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) troops deployed…

DRC: three Tanzanian SADC soldiers killed by mortar fire in North Kivu

In the DRC, three Tanzanian soldiers have died during fighting in recent days in the east of the country. They were part of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) troops deployed in North Kivu since last December.

Congolese army soldiers walk next to displaced people who have found refuge at the Bulengo camp, a few kilometers from downtown Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, February 16, 2024. (Illustrative photo) © GUERCHOM NDEBO / AFP

By: RFI Follow

In a statement, SADC confirms that three Tanzanian soldiers were killed and three others injured “

when a mortar shell fell near the camp where they were.

» This East African force is made up of soldiers from

South

Africa,

Tanzania

and

Malawi

to help government forces as well as pro-government militias fight against the

M23

rebels who, with the support of

Rwanda

, have seized large parts of the province.

According to the Congolese army, the shells were fired on Thursday April 4 by M23 rebels from nearby hills. The SADC camp is located at the entrance to the town of Saké, on the road leading to Goma, the provincial capital. For several months, this road has become the front line between the Congolese army and its allies - to the east - and the M23 rebels, supported by Rwanda to the north and west.

In its press release, the SADC also announces “

that a South African soldier died while being treated in a hospital in Goma for health problems

”.

These are not the first losses of the SADC. Last February, two South African soldiers were killed by mortar fire.

Furthermore, MONUSCO, the UN mission in the DRC, described, in an internal message, an “

increasingly volatile

” security situation. According to her, the M23 “

has reached the northern outskirts of Sake

”. She adds that “

other armed elements were spotted in Virunga National Park, threatening to cut the Goma-Sake road

DRC: three Tanzanian SADC soldiers killed by mortar fire in North Kivu

DRC: three Tanzanian SADC soldiers killed by mortar fire in North Kivu

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