In the complex theatre of eastern Congo’s ongoing conflict, the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) has found itself compelled to counter claims it views as a serious threat to regional stability.
As misinformation spreads, SADC has distanced on April 14 its peacekeeping mission—SAMIDRC—from allegations of direct military collaboration with Congolese forces and militia groups. The bloc warned that such unfounded accusations, particularly those made by M23 rebels and their affiliates, risk derailing fragile diplomatic efforts aimed at ending hostilities in the mineral-rich but violence-plagued region.
The accusations arrive at a delicate juncture, just as SAMIDRC is undergoing a carefully managed withdrawal from Congolese territory, following a directive from the recent SADC Summit. With accusations implicating the force in joint operations alongside the Congolese army and groups like the controversial FDLR, SADC has reiterated that its presence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has been strictly in line with peacekeeping mandates—not combat operations. The organization stressed its commitment to neutrality and to the facilitation of a political solution, calling on all factions to refrain from weaponising disinformation.
Amid escalating tensions, the eastern Congo conflict continues to generate a deepening humanitarian crisis, marked by mass displacement and limited access to aid.