The Southern African regional bloc has said it will conclude its troop deployment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), having decided on a “phased withdrawal”. Leaders from the 16-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) – which has lost at least a dozen soldiers in the eastern DRC since January – held a virtual summit on Thursday to discuss the ongoing conflict in an area that has seen three decades of unrest.

SADC leaders announce a phased withdrawal of peacekeeping forces from the DRC, responding to escalating violence and the tragic loss of 18 troops in recent clashes.

A Southern African Development Community (SADC) extraordinary summit on Thursday terminated the mandate of the SADC Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC) and directed the phased withdrawal of troops from the Democratic Republic of Congo,

The Southern African grouping reiterated the need for a political and diplomatic solution to help restore ‘peace, security and tranquility’ in the conflict-torn country

The troops were sent two years ago to support the Congolese army fight the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels, which has seized control of large parts of mineral-rich eastern DR Congo this year. At least 19 soldiers from South Africa,

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) said on Thursday that a summit of regional heads of state had terminated the mandate of its troop deployment in the Democratic Republic of Congo and decided on a "phased withdrawal".

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has announced an end to the mandate of its military deployment in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and will begin a gradual withdrawal of troops.