Two South African soldiers killed in DR Congo amid uptick in violence

The soldiers are part of a Southern African contingent deployed to fight the many armed groups roaming eastern DR Congo.

South Africa said on Thursday that two of its soldiers had been killed by mortar fire in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the first fatalities since it deployed troops there.

“As a result of this indirect fire, the SANDF suffered two fatalities and three members sustained injuries. The injured were taken to the nearest hospital in Goma for medical attention,” the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) said.

The soldiers were sent to DRC as part of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) mission to fight against armed rebel groups in the east.

South Africa announced this week it would be sending a new contingent of 2,900 soldiers to eastern Congo. It was not immediately clear if those killed and injured were part of that new deployment.

The base that was hit was in the North Kivu province, SANDF spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini said. The injured were taken to a hospital in the regional capital Goma.