This photo taken on April 2, 2023, shows soldiers of South Sudan at the Goma airport in the east Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). (Xinhua/Alain Uaykani)
South Sudan has withdrawn its peacekeeping forces in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
JUBA, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan has withdrawn its peacekeeping forces in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Lul Ruai Koang, the spokesperson of the South Sudan People's Defense Forces, told Xinhua Sunday in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, that all the forces that had been deployed in December 2022, as part of the East African Community Regional Force, have been withdrawn from the North Kivu region of the DRC.
The withdrawal of the South Sudanese troops came after the East African Community announced on Nov. 25 that the DRC would not renew the mandate of the regional force beyond Dec. 8.
This photo taken on April 2, 2023, shows soldiers of South Sudan at the Goma airport in the east Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). (Xinhua/Alain Uaykani)
Since November 2022, this regional force, consisting of Kenyan, Ugandan, Burundian and South Sudanese elements, has been stationed in the eastern part of the DRC in response to conflicts between the DRC military and the March 23 Movement rebels. ■
