File photo, 2018. South African women soldiers of the UN mission on a patrol near Beni in eastern DR Congo. (Photo: MONUSCO, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

DR CONGO · SECURITY

Southern Africa’s military mission in eastern Congo is over: the regional bloc SADC ended its force on Thursday 13 March 2025, and the South African share of its troops and equipment was home by August 2026. SADC, the Southern African Development Community, has 16 member states, and Congo here means the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or DRC.

Peace talks now run through Washington and Doha, and on Wednesday 28 October 2026 the US Treasury sanctioned Rwanda’s Defense Ministry over what it calls Rwandan backing for the M23 rebels who captured Goma. Congo also mined an estimated 73% of the world’s cobalt in 2025, and the United States imported 79% of its cobalt.

What Happened

SADC leaders approved the mission on Monday 8 May 2023, and troops from Malawi, South Africa and Tanzania deployed on Friday 15 December 2023. South Africa authorised up to 2,900 soldiers and costed its first year at 2.4 billion rand (US$144 million at the South African Reserve Bank rate of 16.64 rand per US$ on 29 October 2026).

Fighting at Sake, a town near Goma, and in Goma in late January 2025 killed 14 South African soldiers, South Africa’s defence minister told Parliament on Monday 10 February. SADC’s Harare summit of Friday 31 January 2025 condemned what it called attacks by M23 and the Rwandan army and noted that the mission’s objectives had not yet been realised.

A virtual extraordinary summit on Thursday 13 March 2025 announced the end of the mission’s mandate and endorsed a phased withdrawal. SADC says the decision was further supported by a Goma meeting on Friday 28 March between the contributing countries’ defence chiefs and the M23 leadership.

Why the Region Pulled Out

SADC’s 13 March communique gave no single reason, but it noted “with grave concern” the continued deterioration of security in eastern Congo, including the capture of Goma and Bukavu. Its Executive Secretary, Elias Magosi, told the summit that M23 had seized the Goma and Bukavu airports and that a lasting solution “can only be achieved through inclusive diplomatic efforts and dialogue”.

File photo, 2018. Malawian soldiers of the UN mission lined up at Beni in eastern DR Congo during a visit by the force commander. (Photo: MONUSCO Photos, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

How the Withdrawal Unfolded

The pullout began on Tuesday 29 April 2025 by road through Rwanda. A second phase moving soldiers to Tanzania, and from there home, began on Thursday 12 June 2025.

The first 249 South African soldiers landed near Pretoria on Friday 13 June 2025, and a 25-member team was later tasked with bringing the remaining equipment and ammunition from Tanzania between 16 December 2025 and 30 June 2026. On Tuesday 18 August 2026 Major General Sandile Hlongwa of the SANDF told Parliament’s defence committee that South Africa’s equipment from the mission, staged at Chato in Tanzania, was back home together with all personnel.

South Africa Leaves the UN Mission Too

South Africa also decided to withdraw from MONUSCO after 27 years of support, when it had more than 700 soldiers in Congo. South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa told UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday 12 January 2026, and the Presidency announced it in a statement dated 8 February.

The final phase began on 12 February and was due to end on Thursday 2 July 2026, but 70 personnel are authorised to stay until 31 December. On 18 August the SANDF told the defence committee that about half the equipment had returned and that it does not foresee another extension.

File photo, 2009. South African soldiers on patrol with the UN mission at Pinga in North Kivu, eastern DR Congo. (Photo: MONUSCO Photos, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Why It Matters to Washington

Congo’s President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame signed the US-hosted Washington Accords on Thursday 4 December 2025, and Qatar facilitated the Doha Framework for Peace signed on Saturday 15 November 2025. The UN Security Council extended MONUSCO to 20 December 2026 in a December 2025 resolution and asked it to support ceasefire monitoring.

On 28 October 2026 the US Treasury said Rwanda’s army has deployed thousands of troops in North and South Kivu, Congo’s eastern provinces, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Rwanda “must halt its support for M23 and withdraw its troops from eastern DRC”. A guide to Congo’s outside powers sets out who wants what.

What It Means for You

The State Department urges partners and the private sector to “examine their supply chains closely” for gold and coltan from M23-held areas, and the Treasury office OFAC generally bars US persons from dealing with the blocked property of Rwanda’s Defense Ministry and the lender Zigama. The sanctions name two entities, not Rwanda as a whole.

Travellers should know the State Department lists North Kivu, the province around Goma, at Level 4: Do Not Travel, and the DR Congo country page follows the situation. SADC’s Durban summit of Monday 17 August 2026 announced no new force.

What Is Not Known

It is not known whether M23 and Rwandan forces will leave eastern Congo, or how Rwanda and Congo will respond to the 28 October sanctions. The Security Council has not yet decided what follows when MONUSCO’s mandate ends on 20 December 2026.

SADC’s releases of 1 May and 12 June 2025 give no troop totals or costs for the three contributing countries together. Whether South Africa brings home its UN equipment by 31 December 2026 is also open, since lawmakers asked on 18 August whether another extension could follow.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was SAMIDRC?

SAMIDRC was the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a regional force deployed on 15 December 2023 with troops from Malawi, South Africa and Tanzania. SADC’s leaders ended its mandate on 13 March 2025.

Why did the Southern African force leave Congo?

SADC’s 13 March 2025 communique gave no single reason but noted with grave concern the deteriorating security, including the capture of Goma and Bukavu. Its 31 January summit had condemned attacks on its troops and said the mission’s objectives were not yet realised.

Are South African troops still in Congo?

Almost all have left, but 70 South African personnel, 50 of them in Beni, Congo, are authorised to stay until 31 December 2026 to bring equipment home. The SANDF told Parliament’s defence committee on 18 August 2026 that it does not foresee another extension.

What is the United States doing about the war in eastern Congo?

The United States hosted the Washington Accords between Congo and Rwanda on 4 December 2025. On 28 October 2026 its Treasury sanctioned Rwanda’s Defense Ministry over what it calls support for M23.

Sources: SADC, Deployment of the SADC Mission in the DRC; SADC, communique of the Extraordinary Summit, Harare, 31 January 2025; SADC, communique of the Extraordinary Summit, 13 March 2025; SADC, remarks at the Extraordinary Summit, 13 March 2025; SADC, press release, 1 May 2025; SADC, press release, 12 June 2025; SADC, communique of the 46th Ordinary Summit, 17 August 2026; South African Defence Minister, debate on the DRC, 10 February 2025; South African Department of Defence, 17 June 2025; South African Presidency, 8 February 2026; South African Parliament, tablings of 23 June 2026; Parliamentary Monitoring Group, President’s letter of 11 August 2026 on the SANDF extension; Parliamentary Monitoring Group, record of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence, 18 August 2026; Parliamentary Monitoring Group, record of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence, 13 March 2026; South African Reserve Bank, rand per US dollar, 29 October 2026; UN Security Council resolution 2808, 19 December 2025; US State Department, Washington Accords, 4 December 2025; US Treasury, press release, 28 October 2026; US State Department, statement, 28 October 2026; US Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, cobalt; US State Department, DR Congo travel advisory.

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