The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has said two of its soldiers were killed and three injured on Wednesday, February 14, in eastern DR Congo, where its contingent is deployed to fight rebels.

In a statement on Thursday, the SANDF said the soldiers, who served in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional force, were killed in "an indirect fire,” when a mortar bomb hit one of its bases in the volatile region.

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The injured were taken to the nearest hospital in Goma for medical attention, the statement said, adding that "details of this incident are still sketchy,” and an investigation would be launched to determine the basis of the incident.

On Monday, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa said his country would contribute 2,900 soldiers to the SADC regional force that was deployed to eastern DR Congo in December 2023 to help a government-led coalition fight the M23 rebels in North Kivu.

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South Africa’s deployment was not well received by the country’s main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), which called it "a reckless decision” that would put SANDF soldiers "at the mercy of the M23 rebels.” The opposition party said the SANDF did "not have capacity to effectively pursue an anti-insurgency campaign” and urged Ramaphosa to recall his decision.

Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi sought for the support of the SADC bloc after falling out with a regional force from the East African Community (EAC), which Kinshasa accused of being passive to the M23 rebels. Despite calls by the international community to resolve the conflict politically, Tshisekedi’s government has ruled out any possibilities of dialogue, calling the M23 a terrorist movement.

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Ramaphosa’s office said the SADC regional force, which also has troops from Malawi and Tanzania, would "assist in the fight against illegal armed groups.”

However, observers warn that by working with the Congolese armed forces, the South Africa-led SADC regional force could end up collaborating with the FDLR, a UN-sanctioned militia that is part of the Congolese government coalition.

The FDLR was founded in 2000 by remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

The M23 rebels resurfaced in November 2021, after nearly a decade in hibernation. The rebels say they fight for the protection of the civilians in eastern DR Congo who are persecuted by militias such as the FDLR, which is accused of spreading violence and genocide ideology targeting Congolese Tutsi communities.

Eastern DR Congo has been volatile for nearly 30 years. The provinces of South Kivu, North Kivu and Ituri are home to more than 130 armed groups that are accused of atrocities and human rights violations.

Multiple regional and international interventions have failed to end decades of insecurity. The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the country, MONUSCO, has begun withdrawing its troops in the restive region after more than 20 years.

The EAC regional force withdrew its troops in December 2023, after just over a year of deployment.