Sothern African leaders have announced a phased withdrawal of regional troops from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC) where they have being aiding the government troops in fighting against M23 rebels.
This development comes following a virtual summit of the 16-member Southern African Development Community (SADC)today. The SADC peacekeeping mission deployed 2 years ago suffered heavy losses with at least 19 soldiers killed when they encountered the M23 rebels in Goma in Jnauary.
However, the leaders pledged continued support in efforts to restore peace in DRC through diplomatic and political interventions. Malawi and South Africa which have been participating in the peacekeeping missions and suffered a heavy loss as they lost more soldiers to the M23 rebels will also be withdrawing its troops from the war torn country.