South Africa's military reinforces beleaguered Congo mission

FILE PHOTO: Motorcycle taxi operators look at military uniforms and ammunition from the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) lying on the ground, amid clashes between them and the M23 rebels, in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, January 30, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa has sent additional troops and military equipment to Democratic Republic of Congo in recent days, political and diplomatic sources said, after 14 of its soldiers were killed in fighting with Rwanda-backed rebels last month.

The South African reinforcement comes amid fears that fighting in eastern Congo could spark a broader war in a powderkeg region that has over the past three decades witnessed genocide, cross-border conflicts and dozens of uprisings.