New Tanzanian Battalion In North Kivu With An Offensive Mandate
A new battalion of Tanzanian troops have been deployed in the war-ravaged North Kivu Province eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as the second force of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission.
The Tanzanian contingent will replace the regional EAC force with an offensive mandate, according to military sources.
“Tanzanian troops are arriving to supplement the strength of SADC troops who have an offensive mandate against the enemy,” said Lieutenant-Colonel Guillaume Ndjike, spokesperson for the military governor of North Kivu.
“You are there to fight the enemy, the M23. You are not there for city patrols or to get acquainted with Congolese people. We are here to take care of our objective,” said South African Major General Monwabisi Dyakopu, head of the SADC force, in his welcoming remarks.
These SADC troops, with offensive mandate, will occupy the positions left by the regional force of the EAC (Burundi, South Sudan, Kenya and Uganda) as decided by the government who cited complacency with the terrorists in the occupied localities and passivity.
Meanwhile, the South African SADC contingent who were first to arrive in Goma in December 2023, were recently attacked by the M23 rebel group.
The deployment of SADC troops in eastern DRC was approved during the 43rd Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government in Luanda, Angola.
The new force will be made up of troops from Malawi, South Africa and Tanzania following the withdrawal of the last 89 Kenyan soldiers of the EAC Regional Force who leftovers Congolese soil on Thursday December 21 via Goma. https://drcnewstoday.com/war-in-the-east-new-tanzanian-battalion-in-north-kivu-with-an-offensive-mandate