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Sunday Times reports on the situation of the group of about 800 South African soldiers detained in Goma, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Bored, hungry, immobilised, homesick and forgotten is how they have been feeling for the past six weeks.
Last week, finally, there was movement: when a SADC extraordinary summit ended the mandate of the SADC mission in the DRC and decided on a phased withdrawal of troops from the country. But according to one soldier in Goma, they have not been told anything: “We have seen news reports but nothing has been communicated to us yet by the command authority.” The soldier went on to say: “It’s a relief. I think once M23 took over, it was clear to everyone that the mission was a failure. I am still positive about what my comrades and I accomplished on the ground, in spite of our commanders. I will take the lessons I learnt here with me on my road forward.” He sees himself as a prisoner of war and explained: “At best, we are sort of semi-captured. M23 might not have taken over our base but they completely control our movements. They make sure we remain inside the base. As long as we do that, they leave us alone. They do not enter the base. If they want to talk to our leaders, they stand outside the gate and wait until the officers go to them. We can’t defend ourselves in any way. Our hands are tied.” He also indicated: “We get food from the UN and our chefs prepare it, but it is mostly pap and chicken or pap and meat – and never enough. To South Africa and the rest of the world, we are an uncomfortable presence – the forgotten soldiers.”
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Hendrik Hancke at Sunday Times (subscriber access only)
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page