Linea Dishena 

Defence minister Frans Kapofi has confirmed that Namibia will not deploy troops to the ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). 

Kapofi represented Namibia at the extraordinary SADC Heads of State summit in Zimbabwe on Friday.

He emphasised in an interview with Nampa on Monday that Namibia’s position has remained unchanged from the start, which is that the crisis should be resolved politically by the DRC government.

The summit was convened to address escalating violence in eastern DRC, particularly attacks by the M23 armed group in Goma, a city of over two million people.

The SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC), deployed in December 2023, includes troops from South Africa, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania.

Reports so far have indicated that 14 South African soldiers, three Malawians and two Tanzanians have been killed in the conflict. At least 773 people have lost their lives, while thousands have been displaced.

“We will not set foot on the ground there. We want to resolve that problem politically, and it has to be politically resolved by the Congolese, and those who are there to maintain peace must be supported… We will continue to support that initiative, but we are not sending troops there,” Kapofi said.

Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Peya Mushelenga previously confirmed that Namibia has met its financial commitments to support the mission. Namibia’s assessed contribution towards SAMIDRC stands at N$89.78 million, as per the assessment approved during the November 2023 Extraordinary SADC Summit in Luanda.

Meanwhile, President Nangolo Mbumba has urged all conflicting parties to seek a peaceful resolution. He has urged the parties to pursue diplomatic means in line with the principles of the United Nations Charter.