President Lazarus Chakwera has directed Malawi Defence Force (MDF) to start the process of withdrawing Malawian troops from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) following declaration of a ceasefire.
The decision comes after three MDF soldiers on a peacekeeping mission were killed in January by rebels.
In an interview last evening, Minister of Information and Digitisation Moses Kunkuyu said the decision was made in response to the recent Southern African Development Community (Sadc) Troika Summit that the President attended in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on the sidelines of the Africa Energy Summit.
During the summit, a resolution was passed calling for a ceasefire from all parties involved in the conflict to pave the way for peace negotiations.
Said Kunkuyu: “That ceasefire has since been declared by the M23 [rebels] and so His Excellency has seen it fit to contribute to that peace-building effort by withdrawing troops from the region in good faith.
“His Excellency is keen to see peace prevail in the Sadc for the advancement of regional integration, which he also looks forward to pushing for when he takes over as chair of the Sadc Troika Organ later in the year.”
The minister said Chakwera yesterday spoke with both the Sadc executive secretary Elias Magosi and the President of the DRC Felix Tshisekedi to convey his decision and the arrangements for the safe return of Malawian troops and equipment.
In a message circulated via a flyer, the President said the withdrawal is intended to honour the ceasefire and facilitate planned negotiations aimed at achieving lasting peace.
Malawi is among the countries in the Sadc region called to immediately repatriate its soldiers who were killed and injured in the DRC.
This follows resolutions at an Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of Sadc held on Friday in Harare, Zimbabwe, on the security situation in DRC where M23 rebels have intensified its offensive in the eastern part of the country.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Nancy Tembo represented Malawi at the summit.
During the summit, which was chaired by Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa, leaders expressed concerns that continued M23 rebel attacks are worsening the security and humanitarian situation and called for immediate restoration of essential utilities such as water, electricity, means of communication and supply line for food and other essential commodities.
MDF spokesperson Major Kelvin Mlelemba did not respond to our questionnaire sent on WhatsApp.
Malawi’s soldiers are part of SAMIDRC-a Sadc regional force comprising South Africa, Tanzania and Malawi and elements of DRC Armed Forces who are working with the Forces Armees de la République Démocratique du Congo in fighting the M23 rebels operating in Eastern DRC.
Deployment of soldiers under SAMIDRC, whose Force Commander is Major general Monwabisi Dyakopu from South Africa, was approved on May 8 2023 during an Extraordinary Sadc Summit of Heads of State and Government in Windhoek, Namibia.
The agreement to deploy soldiers was in direct response to a continued unstable and deteriorating security situation in eastern DRC.
In 2018, six MDF soldiers died in a rebel ambush in DRC where they were part of a United Nations Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) peacekeeping mission.
