South Africa to Pull Troops from UN’s Congo Peacekeeping Mission
United Nations guards patrol on the main road to Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Photographer: Jospin Mwisha/AFP/Getty Images
South Africa will withdraw its troops from the United Nation’s peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo as the continent’s largest economy seeks to “realign” the resources of its armed forces.
It will work with the UN to finalize the exact timing and method for pulling out its forces, though the withdrawal will be completed before the end of 2026, the office of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement late on Saturday. South Africa has more than 700 soldiers deployed in the central African nation and has supported UN peacekeeping efforts there for 27 years, Ramaphosa’s office said.