Tanzanian army confirms two soldiers killed in DR Congo

By : AFP

Date: 2 February 2025 6:36pm WAT

EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / An abandoned vehicle of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) is seen on a partially empty street in Goma on January 30, 2025. DR Congo's president has vowed a "vigorous" military response against Rwandan-backed fighters who advanced further in the mineral-rich east of the country after seizing most of the region's main city, where some residents tentatively emerged on January 30, 2025. The M23's capture of most of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, is a dramatic escalation of a decade-long conlfict that has seen it seize swathes of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. (Photo by Jospin Mwisha / AFP)

Two Tanzanian soldiers have been killed in clashes in the last 10 days in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the army confirmed Sunday.

The offensive by the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group, which has captured the major city of Goma and promised to march on to the capital Kinshasa, has rattled international observers.

It is the latest escalation in a mineral-rich region bedevilled by decades of fighting involving dozens of armed groups.

Tanzanian Peoples Defence Force (TPDF) soldiers had been deployed under the Southern African Development Community (SADC), a regional bloc operating in eastern DR Congo.

“Following a series of attacks in the areas of Sake and Goma carried out by M23 rebels on the 24th and 28th of January 2025, JWTZ has lost two soldiers,” army spokesperson Gaudentius Ilonda said, using the Swahili abbreviation for the TPDF.

He confirmed that four others had been wounded and were currently receiving treatment in Goma.

Ilonda said the remaining units—without giving any further “details—”continue to carry out their duties under the guidance of SADC”.

Preparations were underway to repatriate the bodies of the Tanzanian soldiers, he added.
So far 13 South Africans, three Malawians, and a Uruguayan national have died in the DR Congo clashes.

Earlier this week, SADC called for a joint summit with the eight-country East African Community (EAC) over the crisis.

On Sunday, Rwanda said it would welcome such a meeting while also criticising SADC’s involvement in DRC.

Rwanda has never admitted to military involvement in support of the M23 group, however, a United Nations expert report last July said it had roughly 4,000 troops in eastern DR Congo, and accused Kigali of having “de facto” control over the group.

Rwanda alleges that DR Congo supports and shelters the FDLR, an armed group created by former Hutu leaders who massacred Tutsis during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.