More than 700 soldiers from South Sudan, according to the military, will go to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to join a new regional force working to quell the most recent violent hostilities there.
Major General Lul Ruai Koang, the military’s spokesperson, told newsmen on Monday that the government is preparing to equip the 750 troops with what they need for the combat operation.
The United Nations reaffirmed its arms embargo on South Sudan earlier this year due to the country’s delayed implementation of a 2018 peace agreement that ended a five-year civil conflict and ongoing deadly violence. According to regional officials and the UN, thousands of people are still dying every year.
The military spokesman for South Sudan did not specify when the troops would be dispatched to eastern Congo. He stated that the soldiers were still in the preparation stage of training.
Leaders of the seven-nation East African Community decided to establish and send a regional force to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where dozens of armed groups are active earlier this year.
Kinshasa accuses its smaller neighbor Rwanda of supplying support to the armed M23 rebels, something that UN and US officials have also mentioned recently, which has led to an increase in diplomatic tensions.
The FDLR is a former Rwandan Hutu rebel group that was created in the DRC after the murder of the Tutsi community in Rwanda in 1994. Kigali denies the claim and accuses Kinshasa of cooperating with the FDLR.
Salva Kiir, president of South Sudan, stated this week that while facing difficulties at home, his nation will contribute to regional security.
It is pertinent to mention that the resurgence of the M23 has destabilised relations in central Africa and displaced an estimated 183,000 people in North Kivu since October 20, 2022.