Leaders from Southern Africa decided to pull out their military forces from eastern Congo. They sent these soldiers two years ago to help Congo's army fight against M23 rebels backed by Rwanda. The rebels took control of large parts of eastern Congo where valuable minerals exist. M23 captured Goma, the biggest city in that region, in January when they killed nineteen soldiers from South Africa, Malawi, and Tanzania.
The violent conflict killed thousands of people. Hundreds of thousands lost their homes and needed shelter after running away from fights. Many experts worried the fighting might spread and cause a bigger war across the entire region. M23 rebels kept taking more land in eastern Congo and grabbed Bukavu, the second largest city in that area, last month.
South Africans criticized their government strongly after rebels killed their soldiers. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the withdrawal, saying, "The situation remains precarious, but the peace as it stands right holds." Yet M23 rebels continue capturing more territory each day. Sandile Swanda, who analyzes South African politics, told BBC the situation embarrassed his country.
"The rebels show great strength. This represents a serious war that South Africa lacks preparation to fight," Swanda explained. He added that no country belonging to the Southern African group stands ready for such conflict - mentally, militarily, or politically. Experts say this retreat hurts not just South Africa but the entire Southern African group and Congo itself.
Stephanie Wolters from the South African Institute of International Affairs explained to BBC that when these countries leave, Congo's government position becomes much weaker. "They switched from supporting Congo fully to standing neutral at best," she said. Earlier this year, Malawi's president announced plans to remove their troops from Congo without explaining why.
The sixteen members of the Southern African Development Community met virtually from Harare, Zimbabwe, on Thursday. They decided to start gradually removing all troops without giving any reason. These leaders promised they would keep supporting efforts to bring lasting peace to Congo. They also pushed for solving the problem through talking and diplomacy rather than fighting.
Previous attempts to make peace failed repeatedly. Angola announced plans to host peace talks between Congo and M23 rebels next Monday in Luanda. The rebel group welcomed this invitation publicly. President Félix Tshisekedi previously refused to speak directly with M23, insisting he would only talk with Rwanda instead.
Southern African leaders recently held three emergency meetings about Congo. Nobody knows exactly how many troops currently serve in Congo, though plans called for sending five thousand soldiers total. South Africa intended to provide nearly three thousand troops, with Malawi and Tanzania supplying the rest.
The violent conflict killed thousands of people. Hundreds of thousands lost their homes and needed shelter after running away from fights. Many experts worried the fighting might spread and cause a bigger war across the entire region. M23 rebels kept taking more land in eastern Congo and grabbed Bukavu, the second largest city in that area, last month.
South Africans criticized their government strongly after rebels killed their soldiers. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the withdrawal, saying, "The situation remains precarious, but the peace as it stands right holds." Yet M23 rebels continue capturing more territory each day. Sandile Swanda, who analyzes South African politics, told BBC the situation embarrassed his country.
"The rebels show great strength. This represents a serious war that South Africa lacks preparation to fight," Swanda explained. He added that no country belonging to the Southern African group stands ready for such conflict - mentally, militarily, or politically. Experts say this retreat hurts not just South Africa but the entire Southern African group and Congo itself.
Stephanie Wolters from the South African Institute of International Affairs explained to BBC that when these countries leave, Congo's government position becomes much weaker. "They switched from supporting Congo fully to standing neutral at best," she said. Earlier this year, Malawi's president announced plans to remove their troops from Congo without explaining why.
The sixteen members of the Southern African Development Community met virtually from Harare, Zimbabwe, on Thursday. They decided to start gradually removing all troops without giving any reason. These leaders promised they would keep supporting efforts to bring lasting peace to Congo. They also pushed for solving the problem through talking and diplomacy rather than fighting.
Previous attempts to make peace failed repeatedly. Angola announced plans to host peace talks between Congo and M23 rebels next Monday in Luanda. The rebel group welcomed this invitation publicly. President Félix Tshisekedi previously refused to speak directly with M23, insisting he would only talk with Rwanda instead.
Southern African leaders recently held three emergency meetings about Congo. Nobody knows exactly how many troops currently serve in Congo, though plans called for sending five thousand soldiers total. South Africa intended to provide nearly three thousand troops, with Malawi and Tanzania supplying the rest.
