The recent casualties suffered by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have ignited a fierce political storm, particularly for the governing ANC as critics assail the decision to deploy troops to the conflict-ridden region. In this interview with The Citizen, SAIIA’s head of the African Governance and Diplomacy Programme, Steven Gruzd, says the death of these soldiers has brought home to South Africa how complex and difficult the peacekeeping missions can be.
