DA calls for urgent debate to assess if SANDF soldiers in DRC were adequately equipped

CAPE TOWN - The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called for an urgent debate in parliament to assess whether South African soldiers deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were adequately equipped.

The party said it's imperative that parliament urgently debate the issue to ensure that the country's soldiers are never sent into harm's way without resources.

This follows the death of nine South African soldiers at the weekend during intense fighting with the M23 rebel group in the war-torn region.

READ: Defence Dept took over 48 hours to respond to casualties, situation in DRC - SANDU

"The Democratic Alliance calls for an urgent and immediate debate in parliament to assess whether South African soldiers deployed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were adequately equipped for the mission, and how we can prevent such a tragedy from happening again. The DA has long raised alarms about the inadequacy of the South African National Defence Force's preparedness for the challenges posed by the DRC's deteriorating security situation," said DA Defence spokesperson, Chris Hattingh.