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Rwanda has agreed to allow troops from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), currently stationed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), to exit through its territory en route to Tanzania, three diplomatic sources confirmed on Friday.
In a statement issued in mid-March, SADC officially announced the conclusion of the mission of its special deployment, known as SAMIDRC, and the commencement of a phased withdrawal of its forces from Congo.
According to sources directly involved in ongoing discussions between Rwanda and SADC, Kigali has accepted the request to let SAMIDRC troops transit by road through Rwanda.
Two of the officials said they were informed that the troops’ weapons would be secured during transit, but would leave Congolese territory alongside the soldiers via Rwandan land routes.
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There was no immediate comment from SADC, or from the governments of Congo or Rwanda, on the development.
Speaking to South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) on Thursday, South African National Defence Force Chief General Rudzani Maphwanya confirmed that a technical team is already in Tanzania to finalize the withdrawal arrangements.
SAMIDRC forces were deployed in December 2023 to support the Kinshasa government in its fight against rebel groups in the war-torn eastern region of the DRC.
Since January, M23 rebels have captured two major towns in eastern Congo, underscoring the deepening crisis rooted in the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and ongoing struggles over control of Congo’s vast mineral wealth.
