750 troops from South Sudan joins regional army in DRC

• More than 700 soldiers from South Sudan will go to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• They will join a new regional force working to quell the most recent deadly clashes there.
• The military spokesman for South Sudan did not specify when the troops would be dispatched to eastern Congo.

In an effort to quell the most recent wave of fighting there, the troops are heading to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to join a new regional force.

More than 700 soldiers from South Sudan, according to the military, will go to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to join a new regional force working to quell the most recent deadly clashes there.

Major General Lul Ruai Koang, the military’s spokesman, told The Associated Press on Monday that the government is working to equip the 750 troops with what they need for the combat mission.

The United Nations renewed its arms embargo on South Sudan earlier this year due to the country’s slow implementation of a 2018 peace agreement that ended a five-year civil war and ongoing deadly violence. According to regional officials and the UN, thousands of people are still dying every year.

The military spokesman for South Sudan did not specify when the troops would be dispatched to eastern Congo. He stated that the soldiers were still in the preparation stage of training.

Leaders of the seven-nation East African Community decided to establish and send a regional force to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where dozens of armed groups are active, earlier this year.

Kinshasa accuses its smaller neighbor Rwanda of providing support to the armed group M23, something that UN and US officials have also mentioned recently, which has led to an increase in diplomatic tensions.

The FDLR is a former Rwandan Hutu rebel group that was created in the DRC after the murder of the Tutsi community in Rwanda in 1994. Kigali denies the claim and accuses Kinshasa of cooperating with the FDLR.

Kenya is a key player in the regional force and the peacekeeping operations. After Kenyan President William Ruto’s weekend visit to South Sudan, the military spokesman for that country spoke with the Associated Press.

Salva Kiir, president of South Sudan, stated this week that while facing difficulties at home, his nation will contribute to regional security.

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