Cape Town - The SANDF has refused to be intimidated by the M23 rebel group after it wrote to Parliament asking it to call off the South African mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo and issued warnings on Twitter.
This followed the news that the SANDF was preparing a battalion of soldiers to take on the M23 movement and other rebels in eastern DRC. The rebel group, tweeting as M23 Congo RDC, said: “We dont fear SANDF, we know how weak they ar, since 96 they hav never hear the sound of Bombs, and most of the(m) ar corup & old”.
A later tweet read: “SANDF in DRC wiv offensive mission 2extend ze reign of an army wiv highest rates of crime & rape & rescue the most corrupt regime in ze world”.
The SANDF confirmed it had assigned about 1 000 soldiers to join an African regional brigade of about 3 000 troops tasked with clearing the eastern DRC of rebel groups. The most feared of these is the M23.
SANDF spokesman Brigadier-General Xolani Mabanga said the plan to send the troops to the DRC was unaffected by M23’s threats.
“We wont be beaten with psychological warfare. We are prepared to go to battle and die if need be - we are prepared to lay down our lives,” Mabanga said.
Two days ago parliamentarians in Cape Town received a letter from the M23 urging Parliament and the people of South Africa “to convince the government to not send their sons and daughters of their good nation in an absurd war against their Congolese brothers”.
Some military analysts said this letter might indicate that M23 was scared of confronting the SANDF.
Cape Argus