President Cyril Ramaphosa held a telephone call with his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame to discuss the recent escalation of conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), his office said late on Monday.
The Presidency said: “The two heads of state have agreed on the urgent need for a ceasefire and the resumption of peace talks by all parties to the conflict.”
These talks come after the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) confirmed that at least nine SA soldiers died over two days last week during skirmishes with M23 rebels in DRC.
The soldiers, on deployment as part of the Sadc and UN peacekeeping deployments to the area, engaged in combat with M23 rebels near Goma, the capital of North Kivu province in eastern DRC. The number of wounded soldiers is yet to be confirmed, according to SANDF spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini.
While the SANDF has hailed the soldiers as “gallant fighters” who put up a “heroic resistance” that prevented rebels from taking over the city of Goma, the South African National Defence Union has raised concerns that the soldiers were heavily outgunned.
Reuters
Cyril Ramaphosa speaks to Paul Kagame as tension grows in DRC
The two heads of state have agreed on the urgent need for a ceasefire
President Cyril Ramaphosa held a telephone call with his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame to discuss the recent escalation of conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), his office said late on Monday.
The Presidency said: “The two heads of state have agreed on the urgent need for a ceasefire and the resumption of peace talks by all parties to the conflict.”
These talks come after the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) confirmed that at least nine SA soldiers died over two days last week during skirmishes with M23 rebels in DRC.
The soldiers, on deployment as part of the Sadc and UN peacekeeping deployments to the area, engaged in combat with M23 rebels near Goma, the capital of North Kivu province in eastern DRC. The number of wounded soldiers is yet to be confirmed, according to SANDF spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini.
While the SANDF has hailed the soldiers as “gallant fighters” who put up a “heroic resistance” that prevented rebels from taking over the city of Goma, the South African National Defence Union has raised concerns that the soldiers were heavily outgunned.
Reuters
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos