Members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), part of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) military mission for eastern Congo, in Goma, North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo February 20, 2024. REUTERS/Arlette Bashizi/File Photo

HARARE, (Reuters) – Southern Africa’s regional bloc on Wednesday extended by a year its troop deployment in Democratic Republic of Congo, where it is helping the government fight rebel groups.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) deployed the mission in Congo, a major producer of metals like cobalt and copper, in December 2023 with a one-year mandate.

A communique issued after regional leaders met in Zimbabwe’s capital Harare expressed concern at the security and humanitarian situation in Congo and reiterated the bloc’s support for the government.

Congo is one of SADC’s 16 member states.

“Summit extended the mandate of the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo by one year, continuing the regional response to address the prevailing unstable security situation,” the communique said.

Conflict in Congo’s restive east has raged for decades between a myriad of rival armed groups over land and resources.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced in the fighting, which has continued despite numerous ceasefires.

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(Reporting by Nyasha Chingono; Writing by Tannur Anders; Editing by Alexander Winning)