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KINSHASA. – Two South African soldiers were killed and three injured when a mortar landed in their base in eastern Congo amid increased unrest in the region, the South African armed forces said yesterday.
The South African National Defence Force, which oversees all of the country’s armed forces, said it believed the mortar explosion on Wednesday was a result of “indirect fire” and an investigation was underway to determine who was responsible.
South Africa has sent soldiers to Congo as part of the Southern African Development Community’s mission to fight against armed rebel groups in the east.
South Africa announced this week it would be sending a new contingent of 2 900 soldiers to eastern Congo. It wasn’t immediately clear if those killed and injured were part of that new deployment.
The base that was hit was in the North Kivu province, South African National Defence Force spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini said. The injured were taken to a hospital in the city of Goma.
Violence in the conflict-hit region has increased in recent weeks, with many blaming attacks on the M23 rebel group that has been fighting Congolese soldiers in the region for years.
The Congo government says M23 is receiving military support from neighboring Rwanda, which Rwanda denies. – AP
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