Defense Post
December 23, 2022

South Sudan to Send 750 Troops to DR Congo to Fight Rebels

Also see: Obama sends military advisers to central Africa

South Sudan will send 750 soldiers to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo soon to join a regional force fighting a rebel offensive, a military spokesman said Wednesday.

Fierce fighting in recent months between Congolese troops and the M23 rebel group prompted the East African Community (EAC) bloc to deploy a joint regional force…with Kenya and Uganda also sending soldiers to the DRC.

South Sudanese soldiers “will leave for the DR Congo as soon as possible,” a spokesman for the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), Major General Lul Ruai Koang….

The 750-strong battalion has been undergoing training for more than six months for their deployment, he added.

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The fighting in the DRC has also reignited regional tensions, with Kinshasa accusing its smaller neighbor [U.S. military client] Rwanda of backing the M23, allegations supported by UN experts as well as the United States, France and Belgium.

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The M23, a largely Congolese Tutsi militia, first leapt to prominence 10 years ago when it captured Goma in 2012, before being driven out and going to ground.

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The EAC regional force is expected to include soldiers from Kenya, Burundi, Uganda, and South Sudan. But its intended total size remains unclear.

Kenyan soldiers arrived in the country on November 12, with the Ugandan military later announcing that it would deploy 1,000 troops by the end of November.