South Sudan deploys 750 soldiers to eastern DRC

South Sudan announced this week it was sending 750 soldiers to join the East African Regional Force (EARF) trying to bring peace in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), despite its own struggles to restore peace back home.

President Salva Kiir officially announced the deployment of the troops to join contingents from Kenya, Burundi and Uganda, in what is seen as a test of the East African Community’s (EAC) ability to respond to violence in the region and end decades of bloodshed in that country.

Heavy fighting in recent months between DRC forces and M23 rebels prompted the EAC to deploy its joint regional force. Kiir asked the departing troops to try to “achieve and keep peace in Congo,” and warned them “to show discipline and order, and to carry out orders.” He also instructed the troops not to commit crimes such as rape.

Minister of Defense and Veteran Affairs Angelina Teny said that as a member of the East African Community, South Sudan has a stake in the security and stability of the DRC. The EAC had given regional backing to South Sudan’s troop deployment in the eastern DRC, Teny also said, describing the troop deployment as a positive move by a country grappling with its own security issues. “We are very proud today because the flag of the republic of South Sudan is going to be flying as a region continuing to contribute to stability and peace,” she said. “This is a great opportunity for us to change the image of this country.”

The announcement of the deployment came barely four months after thousands of fighters including former rebels loyal to Kiir and his rival, Vice President Riek Machar, were integrated into South Sudan’s army, a key condition of a peace deal to end the country’s brutal civil war.