Following the deaths of nine South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), non-governmental organisation AfriForum wants Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga to launch an investigation into the matter, as the conflict escalates.

The soldiers were stationed in the DRC as part of Southern African Development Community (SADC) and UN peacekeeping deployments and were engaged in intense combat over two days with the M23 rebel group on a military base near Goma, the provincial capital of the eastern DRC.

According to other reports, as many as 24 other SANDF soldiers were also wounded.

AfriForum wants answers on the risks associated with the operation, the level of medical support for soldiers, coordination and communication efforts between forces, measures to support families of the fallen soldiers and measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring.

AfriForum community safety chief spokesperson Jacques Broodryk said the soldiers’ sacrifice for peace and stability must not be in vain.

“The government owes it to the families, fellow soldiers and all South Africans to ensure accountability, transparency and the implementation of better safeguards to protect our soldiers in the field,” he said.

The organisation also wants the findings from any investigation to be made public, as it questioned whether the mission was planned properly.

It also called for clarity on the coordination between the SANDF, the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC and other SADC forces.