The Southern African Development Community, SADC, has announced that a summit of regional heads of state had terminated the mandate of its troop deployment in the Democratic Republic of Congo and decided on a phased withdrawal.
The Southern African bloc made this announcement on Thursday in a communique after the summit.
“Summit terminated the Mandate of SAMIDRC and directed the commencement of a phased withdrawal of SAMIDRC troops from the DRC,” the bloc said.
A document released in February had said that the status of the bloc’s mission to Congo needed to be discussed with parties to the conflict.
The 16-member SADC reportedly deployed its mission in Congo in December 2023 to help the Congolese army fight rebel groups.
The bloc also extended its mandate late last year but the mission has reportedly suffered losses in 2025.
Conflict: Southern African bloc to withdraw troops from Congo
