South Africa has announced plans to withdraw its troops from the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with President Cyril Ramaphosa informing UN Secretary-General António Guterres, that the move is aimed at realigning South African National Defence Force resources after nearly three decades of peacekeeping involvement.

South Africa currently contributes more than seven-thousand soldiers to MONUSCO, a mission established in 1999 to support stability and protect civilians in the conflict-affected DRC, with the withdrawal expected to be completed before the end of 2026.

For analysis on the security and operational implications is defence analyst Ricardo Texeira.