LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-In response to the recent deaths of three Malawian soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Parliamentary Committee on Defence has announced an emergency meeting to discuss the situation with the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) commander Valentino Phiri.
In an interview with Maravi Post on Monday, January 26, the committee’s chairperson, Salim Bagus, expressed his shock at the soldiers’ deaths and highlighted the need to address the security concerns of personnel deployed abroad.
Bagus stated that he personally prefers the temporary withdrawal of Malawian soldiers from the DRC conflict until other issues are electrified since it’s a Southern African for East and Development (SADC) agreement.
“We have valid reasons for considering the withdrawal of the soldiers from the DRC, but due to security reasons, we cannot disclose these at this time. We will wait until we meet with the commander,” said Bagus.
He urged the committee to expedite the planning of the emergency meeting with the MDF commander.
The three Malawian soldiers were killed alongside ten South African soldiers while serving in a peacekeeping mission involving the M23 group in the DRC.
