ALBAWABA - South Africa announced Thursday that two of its soldiers had been killed by mortar fire in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the country's first casualties since sending troops there.
"As a result of this indirect fire, two SANDF troops were killed and three were injured. According to the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), the injured were sent to the nearest hospital in Goma for medical assistance.
"A mortar bomb landed inside one of the South African contingent military bases inflicting casualties and injuries to the SANDF soldiers," the South African National Defence Force said.
"As a result of this indirect fire, the SANDF suffered two fatalities and three members sustained injuries," the statement added.
South Africa has suffered its first casualties since deploying 2,900 soldiers to eastern DR Congo in mid-December.
The troops were dispatched as part of a southern African regional force, which also included Malawian and Tanzanian soldiers, to assist DRC government forces in combating M23 insurgents.
Since resuming operations in late 2021, the largely Tutsi M23 militia has taken significant swaths of North Kivu. Since the 1990s, the region has been rife with violence.
Clashes have escalated in recent days in the important town of Sake, which is around 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Goma.
