Four SANDF Peacekeepers Killed Near Goma on Monday, Death Toll Rises to 13

Jan 28, 2025, 09:18 AM

Four additional South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers have been killed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), raising the death toll to 13 within less than a week. The soldiers, part of a peacekeeping mission, died on Monday during fierce clashes with the M23 rebel group near Goma Airport, close to the Rwandan border. The SANDF confirmed that the troops were killed in exchanges of mortar fire and gun battles, escalating tensions in the region. One soldier succumbed to injuries sustained in an earlier encounter, while three others were killed in recent fighting. The death toll now exceeds the total number of South African soldiers killed during their 36-month deployment as part of the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM). The escalating conflict with the M23 rebels in the eastern DRC has raised concerns over regional stability.