South African troops played just a small role in an attack on a Congolese militia camp this week, the South African Department of Defence said on Thursday.
Two platoons of South African infantry were initially in reserve with some Nepalese troops while two companies of Pakistani troops attacked.
They are part of the United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), known as Monuc, deployed in the DRC’s eastern provinces to disarm and demobilise factions that fought in the country’s long-running civil war.
”At 10.30am [on Tuesday] the Monuc force drew fire from the militia and returned fire. The South African reserves and a Mil Mi25 attack helicopter were called in to reinforce the Pakistani forces,” South African National Defence Force spokesperson Colonel John Rolt said in a statement.
”No South African soldiers were injured. Two Pakistani soldiers were injured during the fire fight and were evacuated to 1 Military hospital, Thaba Tshwane, in South Africa,” Rolt added.
There are conflicting media reports on the number of militiamen killed, with some saying 50 and others 60.
Monuc chief of staff General Collot d’Escury told a press conference in Kinshasa on Wednesday the attack was a ”proportionate” reaction to the killing last Friday of nine Bangladeshi soldiers serving with Monuc.
The 250-strong Monuc force attacked a camp at Loga of about 450 militiamen, Rolt said.
Media reports add that a South African battalion of 850 soldiers has been flown in to join about 3 000 UN troops already in the Ituri district of the eastern Oriental province.
Loga is 38km north of Ituri’s capital, Bunia, where in the past few years the majority Lendu have been fighting the minority Hema for access to land and resources. — Sapa