The withdrawal of the Southern African Development Community Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC) has begun under tense and humiliating conditions. Escorted by Rwandan forces through their territory, the regional force is pulling out of the country following a disastrous military campaign, while hundreds of defeated Congolese troops are also being evacuated from Goma under UN protection.
Rwanda: Gatekeeper of the Exit
Since late April 2025, convoys of South African, Malawian, and Tanzanian troops and equipment have been moving through northwestern Rwanda en route to Tanzania, having vacated bases in Goma and Sake. The overland route, authorized by Kigali and confirmed by Rwanda’s Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe, is officially portrayed as a gesture supporting regional peace efforts. However, many observers note that decisions on the ground are no longer made in Kinshasa — but in Kigali.
While the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels, who have controlled Goma since January, inspect outgoing SAMIDRC convoys, frustration and bitterness have spread among the withdrawing troops. The symbolism is stark: the mission enters and exits under the gaze of the same forces it was sent to defeat.
FARDC in Full Collapse
Simultaneously, the United Nations announced that it had begun relocating “hundreds” of Congolese army and police personnel who had sought refuge at MONUSCO bases in Goma after the city’s fall. These disarmed soldiers and their families are being flown to Kinshasa with logistical support from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
In a revealing twist, the ICRC confirmed that this humanitarian operation was coordinated not only with MONUSCO and the Congolese Ministry of Defense but also with the M23. This illustrates the increasing dominance of the rebels over all matters in the region — including the fate of enemy troops.
During the M23 offensive in January, many Congolese officers fled Goma by boat across Lake Kivu to Bukavu, abandoning their troops. Thousands of FARDC soldiers and allied Wazalendo militia either surrendered or defected to the M23, some undergoing training before being re-integrated under rebel command, according to M23 statements.
SAMIDRC: A Mission Doomed by a Broken Partner
Originally deployed in late 2023, the SAMIDRC was sent into eastern DRC with a robust mandate to “neutralize the M23 and restore peace.” But within weeks, the mission found itself bogged down in an impossible military context. The FARDC — under-equipped, corrupt, and structurally weak — disintegrated under pressure. At the height of the Battle for Goma, SAMIDRC’s lead contingent, the South African forces, suffered 17 deaths, including 14 in a single three-day stretch of urban warfare.
According to military sources, during the battle for Goma airport, SAMIDRC’s “Quick Reaction Force” (QRF) was left alone to hold the line. Despite the collapse of their Congolese partners, they managed to inflict severe damage on the M23 and RDF units. Over 700 M23 fighters were reportedly killed in intense firefights, according to Business Day and corroborated by internal reports from the African Union. Rwandan Defense Forces (RDF) officers were also reportedly wounded or killed — confirmation of Rwanda’s direct military involvement despite Kigali’s denials.
Meanwhile, Romanian military instructors stationed in northern Goma reportedly barricaded themselves inside hotels, displaying white flags. According to a Congolese security source, these instructors handed over FARDC defense maps, troop deployment plans, and command structures to Rwandan and M23 forces — in exchange for a safe exit from the conflict zone.
Kigali’s Control of the Exit Strategy
With the Goma airport unusable and in rebel hands, the defense chiefs of Malawi, South Africa, and Tanzania decided during an April 11 meeting in Dar es Salaam to proceed with a road-based withdrawal via Rwanda. This plan required formal Rwandan approval. A technical reconnaissance team was dispatched to identify the safest routes and coordinate protection.
All SAMIDRC troops and assets are expected to be out of Goma by May 30. Chato, a port town in northwestern Tanzania, will serve as the logistics hub for repatriation. The last units to leave will be the QRF, providing cover for the final convoys.
The Doha Connection: Quiet Diplomacy at Work
The withdrawal of SAMIDRC and the UN-led evacuation of FARDC troops appear to be connected to quiet diplomacy, particularly the recent Doha negotiations between Kinshasa, Kigali and the M23. Analysts suggest that the mass prisoner releases and orderly transitions may reflect informal understandings struck in Qatar, where M23 and Congolese officials met in March. But as regional experts emphasize, no deal involving M23 can happen without the blessing of Kigali, where final decisions are relayed through General James Kabarebe, Rwanda’s special envoy and de facto strategist behind the rebel command.
A New Balance of Power in the East
The twin withdrawals — SAMIDRC’s regional forces and FARDC’s scattered remnants — mark a turning point in eastern DRC. The M23 now controls Goma, Bukavu, and key routes throughout North and South Kivu. Kigali emerges as the unacknowledged power broker, effectively controlling events on the ground while publicly denying involvement.
Kinshasa, meanwhile, stands isolated, defeated, and stripped of leverage. The SADC mission departs with a legacy of frustration and loss. The regional bloc, despite its ambition, leaves behind a war it could not win and a fragile state it could not save.
Only a bold, inclusive diplomatic initiative — involving actors like the United States, the African Union, and Qatar — might now revive a path to peace. But that would require an honest reckoning with the war’s realities and the role of each actor — something the region has long resisted.
Therwandan
