The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has decided to end its military mission in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with immediate effect.

The move was confirmed in a communique following a summit of SADC Heads of State, which also instructed the troops to begin a phased withdrawal from Goma.

The summit, attended by representatives from all 15 SADC member states on Thursday, including DRC President Felix Tshisekedi, reaffirmed the bloc’s commitment to supporting peace and security initiatives in the conflict-ridden region.

While concluding the current mission, SADC indicated that it remains open to future military or diplomatic interventions to help restore stability.

“Summit reiterated the need for a political and diplomatic solution with all parties including state, non-state parties, military and non-military in the Eastern DRC for the restoration of peace, security and tranquillity in the country,” the communique outlined.

The decision also reinforced the joint initiative between SADC and the East African Community (EAC) to merge the Luanda and Nairobi peace processes and bring in additional facilitators to strengthen mediation efforts.

SAMIDRC was deployed on December 15, 2023, following the withdrawal of the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF).

It was mandated to support the Congolese government in restoring order in eastern DRC.

Unlike its predecessor, which had been tasked with complementing existing peace mechanisms such as MONUSCO and diplomatic initiatives, SAMIDRC was deployed with a direct combat mission aimed at neutralizing armed groups and restoring peace. The mission comprised 5,000 troops.

However, its deployment was hindered by challenges from the outset. Armed groups, particularly M23 rebels, reoccupied territories they had vacated following the breakdown of a ceasefire in October 2023.

Unlike previous missions, SAMIDRC did not formally take over from EACRF before its withdrawal, a gap that was exploited by rebel forces.

“Handing over EACRF’s theatre of operation to the SADC force was not planned but it was our desire that we hand over to them before we exit. We did not have the opportunity to discuss it, so it has not happened,” said EACRF Force Commander Major General Aphaxard Kiugu before his force exited Goma.

Despite its extensive experience in the region, SADC’s force struggled to make an impact. In 2013, a Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) consisting of 6,000 troops from Malawi, Tanzania, and South Africa had successfully pushed M23 out of eastern DRC, leading to nearly a decade of relative calm.

However, this time, the mission faced significant setbacks, with M23 reportedly growing in strength and weaponry.

An extraordinary summit of SADC leaders last week assessed the mission’s progress and concluded that SAMIDRC had not fulfilled its objectives.

Some officials argued that the force was unprepared for the scale of the conflict, though the defence minister rejected these claims, insisting that pre-deployment training had been conducted.

Despite its withdrawal, the SADC summit expressed appreciation for the troops’ efforts and honored those who lost their lives in the mission.