GOMA, Congo (AP) — Two U.N. peacekeepers from South Africa were killed in fighting with M23 rebels in eastern Congo, a United Nations official said Saturday.
The South African peacekeepers were killed Friday, the U.N. official told The Associated Press, adding that a Uruguayan peacekeeper was killed Saturday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak on the matter publicly.
M23 has made significant territorial gains in recent weeks, encircling the eastern city of Goma, which has around 2 million people and is a regional hub for security and humanitarian efforts.
The United Nations said it would temporarily relocate nonessential staff from Goma, such as administrative staff.
“Essential personnel remain on the ground, sustaining critical operations such as food distribution, medical assistance, shelter, and protection for vulnerable communities,” the U.N. statement read.
M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo, along the border with Rwanda, in a decades-long conflict that has created one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.
On Thursday, M23 took control of the town of Sake, which is only 27 kilometers (16 miles) west of Goma and one of the last main routes into the provincial capital still under government control, according to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres.
South Africa’s department of defense confirmed the deaths of the two South African peacekeepers in a statement Saturday. It said seven South African soldiers from the Southern African Development Community Mission, also known as SAMIDRC, were also killed during clashes with M23 over the last two days.
“After two days of fierce fighting with the M23 rebel group in the eastern DRC, the South African contingent, alongside its counterparts, was able to halt the advancement of the rebel group towards Goma,” South Africa’s department of defense added.
Since 2021, Congo’s government and allied forces, including SAMIDRC and U.N. troops, have been keeping M23 away from Goma.
The U.N peacekeeping force, also known as MONUSCO, entered Congo more than two decades ago and has around 14,000 peacekeepers on the ground.
South Africa’s second-biggest party, Democratic Alliance, said Saturday an additional 18 South African soldiers were injured in the clashes with M23. The rebel offensive “coincided with the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump,” the party’s statement read.
The U.S. has previously played a key role in attempting to protect civilians in eastern Congo, making several high-level statements and visits, said Kate Hixon, advocacy director for Africa at Amnesty International USA.
“The Rwandan-backed M23 is clearly exploiting the presidential transition in the U.S. to advance on Goma — putting thousands more civilians at risk,” Hixon told The Associated Press.
South Africa’s defense minister, Angie Motshekga, was visiting the country’s troops stationed in Congo as part of the U.N. peacekeeping mission on the day the soldiers were killed.
Congo, the United States and U.N. experts accuse Rwanda of backing M23, which is mainly made up of ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the Congolese army more than a decade ago.
Rwanda’s government denies the claim, but last year acknowledged that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to safeguard its security, pointing to a buildup of Congolese forces near the border. U.N. experts estimate there are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in Congo.
Last year, two South African soldiers from the SAMIDRC were killed by a mortar round explosion in eastern Congo.
Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writer Gerald Imray contributed to this report from Cape Town, South Africa.
This story has been corrected to show that the political party and the trade union said that soldiers were killed, not specifically saying peacekeepers were killed.