South Sudan to send 750 troops to DR Congo to fight rebels
South Sudan will send 750 soldiers to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo soon to join a regional force fighting a rebel offensive, a military spokesman said.
Fierce fighting in recent months between Congolese troops and the M23 rebel group prompted the East African Community (EAC) bloc to deploy a joint regional force to quell the violence, with Kenya and Uganda also sending soldiers to the DRC.
At the Juba event, President Salva Kiir instructed the troops to "keep order", urging them to "protect the civilians and their properties from any harm".
"I want to tell you that you are one army and no matter which division that you come from, now you are going as soldiers of South Sudan," Kiir said.
The fighting in the DRC has also reignited regional tensions, with Kinshasa accusing its smaller neighbour Rwanda of backing the M23, allegations supported by UN experts as well as the United States, France and Belgium.
It delivered the strategic town of Kibumba to a regional military force last week after heavy international pressure to cease fighting, saying the move was a "goodwill gesture done in the name of peace".
The M23, a largely Congolese Tutsi militia, first leapt to prominence 10 years ago when it captured Goma in 2012, before being driven out and going to ground.
But it re-emerged late last year, claiming the DRC had failed to honour a pledge to integrate its fighters into the army, among other grievances.
