SADC begins withdrawing peacekeepers from eastern DRC after heavy losses, as M23 rebels advance and humanitarian crisis worsens.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) began on Tuesday the withdrawal of its peacekeeping forces from the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), using Rwanda as the exit route.

Local media sources in Rwanda reported sightings of several convoys transporting SADC soldiers and equipment from Goma in North Kivu province through Rwandan territory. According to reports, the convoys are expected to continue on to Chato in north-western Tanzania, where the personnel and equipment will be repatriated to their respective countries.

“Our orders say by May 30, everyone and everything needs to be out of Goma and on its way. It was chaos over the weekend, but nobody is complaining because we’re finally going home,” a soldier was quoted as saying.

In April, Rwanda agreed to provide safe passage for the SADC troops. The peacekeeping mission, made up of several thousand troops from South Africa, Malawi, and Tanzania, was deployed to eastern DRC in 2023 to assist the Congolese government in restoring stability to the mineral-rich region, which has been plagued by insurgent violence.

The mission endured heavy casualties in recent months. Around a dozen soldiers from the contributing countries were killed as M23 rebels took control of Goma. Overall, approximately 17 soldiers were lost during the mission’s deployment.

The M23 rebel group, which U.N. experts say is supported by around 4,000 Rwandan troops, has expressed intentions to push its offensive as far as Kinshasa, the DRC’s capital, located more than 1,000 miles from the current conflict zones. In response, President Félix Tshisekedi has called for a large-scale military mobilization to resist the advance.

Rwanda has consistently denied allegations from both the Congolese government and U.N. investigators that it supports M23. Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in eastern DRC has deteriorated significantly, with more than 7 million people displaced, making it one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.

The decision to withdraw SADC troops comes after M23 successfully captured Goma and, more recently, Bukavu, the second-largest city in eastern Congo. In January, 14 South African soldiers and at least three Malawian troops were killed in the fighting. The United Nations later evacuated several critically injured South African soldiers.