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- A South African soldier died in hospital, while three Tanzanians died on the spot after they were hit by a mortar round.
- Three others from Tanzania are receiving medical attention.
- Former president Thabo Mbeki held talks with President Cyril Ramaphosa and Rwanda President Paul Kagame in Kigali over the DRC issue.
Former president Thabo Mbeki has joined presidents Cyril Ramaphosa and Paul Kagame in calling for a peaceful resolution to rising tensions between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda.
And the way to achieve that already existed, Mbeki said.
He is in Rwanda attending the 30th commemoration of the 1994 genocide and met with Kagame and Ramaphosa separately to discuss the situation in the eastern DRC.
South Africa is leading the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has seen casualties starting to mount.
According to a statement issued by the SADC Secretariat, a South African soldier died in a hospital in Goma "while receiving treatment due to health challenges".
Three other soldiers from Tanzania were reported dead, while three suffered injuries after a "hostile mortar round had fallen near the camp they were staying".
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Responding to questions from News24, Mbeki said there was an existing agreement between the DRC and Rwanda that was signed before Felix Tshisekedi came into office, committing Rwanda and DRC to a peaceful solution.
That must be followed up, he added.
"That agreement committed that the Congolese government would make sure it disarms all the people that committed genocide in Rwanda and fled to DRC," said Mbeki.
"This had the consequence that Rwanda would then withdraw its force from the eastern Congo."
He added:
The agreement was signed at the heads of state level on 2 April 2003 in South Africa.
It was witnessed by former UN Secretary-General, the late Kofi Anan.
Mbeki suggested this agreement should be revisited.
"All it needs is its implementation. That's a political solution. That is the only way to solve the problem, there's no other way.
"You can send in troops and people will die, that will not solve the problem," he said.
After the 2003 agreement, Kagame and Tshisekedi have been brought to the negotiation table under the Luanda and Nairobi processes led by Angola and Kenya.The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained herein do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
