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South African Soldier In Eastern DRC Kills Himself and His Colleague


FILE—Members of the South African National Defence Forces carry a coffin during the funeral for two of its soldiers at the Waterkloof Air Force Base, on February 21, 2024. The two were killed in a mortar strike that landed near a SANDF base in Sake, DRC, on February 14, 2024.
FILE—Members of the South African National Defence Forces carry a coffin during the funeral for two of its soldiers at the Waterkloof Air Force Base, on February 21, 2024. The two were killed in a mortar strike that landed near a SANDF base in Sake, DRC, on February 14, 2024.

JOHANNESBURG — A South African soldier deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo has shot dead a colleague and then turned the gun on himself.

The South African National Defense Force, which oversees the country's armed forces, said the soldier used his official service weapon.

It said it had convened a board of inquiry to work with the peacekeeping force in DRC to investigate the incident, adding that the remains of the two soldiers would be repatriated to South Africa in due course.

South Africa has soldiers in DRC as part of the Southern African Development Community’s mission to fight against armed rebel groups in the east.

South Africa announced in February that it would be deploying an additional 2,900 soldiers to the mission.

Two weeks ago, two South African soldiers were killed and three injured when a mortar landed in their base in eastern DRC amid increased unrest in the region.

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