Ramaphosa on DRC conflict: 'There is light at the end of this tunnel'

JOHANNESBURG - President Cyril Ramaphosa is confident there is now light at the end of the tunnel regarding the deadly conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

On Monday night, Ramaphosa participated in the joint SADC-East African community meeting, which was centered around finding resolutions around the civil war in the DRC.

Speaking on the sidelines of the DENOSA conference in Boksburg on Tuesday, the president said that the meeting was positive.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 7,000 people have been killed in the civil war between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Rwanda-backed militia group, M23.

A shaky ceasefire has since been negotiated between the two groups.

President Ramaphosa said that the SADC-East African community was working on securing a permanent ceasefire and getting foreign forces to leave the DRC.

"We also appointed facilitators who are now going to be hands on in ensuring the various parties and stakeholders meet, negotiate, talk among themselves and find peace. For us, as South Africa, it was a very encouraging moment, we can now say there is light at the end of this tunnel where there’s been conflict."

Ramaphosa said the withdrawal of South African troops from the DRC would be done in phases over the next couple of months.