South Africa military commander addresses nation on DRC conflict

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Transcript

00:00SAMI DRC comprising soldiers from Malawi, South Africa and Tanzania was deployed in

00:12December 2023 to the eastern part of the DRC.

00:16Their main operating base was established in Sake, near the city of Goma, an area plagued

00:23by violence and instability for many years.

00:27The primary threat in this area comes from the rebel group that is alleged to be armed,

00:33supported, trained and accompanied by the Rwandan Defence Force.

00:38The M23 rebels launched a full-scale attack on our troops in an attempt to take control

00:44of Sake, aiming to gain access to Goma, the provincial capital of eastern DRC.

00:51Fierce fighting ensued and our soldiers displayed extraordinary bravery and determination.

00:59They successfully halted the M23 advancement and pushed them back, preventing the rebels

01:05from achieving their objective.

01:08However, this decisive pushback at Sake came at a great cost, resulting in the loss of

01:1513 of our gallant fighters.

01:19Regrettably, on Monday 27th January 2025, several long-range mortar bombs were launched

01:27towards Goma airport, with some landing in the South African National Defence Force base,

01:33leading to the loss of three additional South African National Defence Force soldiers.

01:38The families of the fallen heroes have already been notified and plans are underway to repatriate

01:44the remains of our gallant soldiers back home to South Africa.