In less than four months, Tanzania has gone from a cautious participant in the Southern African Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMI-DRC) to a principal coordinator of the Mission’s withdrawal. The Chief of Operations and Training of the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces (TPDF) – Major General Ibrahim Michael Mhona – led the SADC delegation that negotiated and signed a withdrawal agreement with the March 23 rebel group (M23) on March 28, 2025.
In early April, the TPDF hosted high-level military delegations from Malawi and South Africa for consultations about the SAMI-DRC withdrawal plans. Since then, it has become clear that the SAMI-DRC troops will be evacuated into Tanzania via Rwanda, before proceeding to their final destinations.
The deployment of SAMI-DRC in late 2023 raised cost and logistical questions among the Troop Contributing Countries (TCC) primarily because it coincided with the SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM). Tanzania viewed SAMIM as critical to its own security, and allocated a large amount of resources to sustain its operations.
In this sense, SAMI-DRC inevitably became a secondary issue for Tanzania, and only a limited contingent of about 400 TPDF soldiers was made available. This level of contribution appears to be less than half of the number of troops initially promised. Although Tanzania led several operational elements of the mission, the overall leadership of SAMI-DRC remained in the hands of South Africa, the largest Troop Contributing Country.
Tanzania’s prominent role in facilitating the SAMI-DRC withdrawal process has been enabled by three main reasons. The first is frosty relations between South Africa and the M23 and its principal supporters. To undermine the legitimacy of SAMI-DRC, the M23 and its backers made South Africa a primary target due to the country’s position as the backbone of the mission.
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Secondly, Tanzania has long perfected the art of saying less than is necessary and concealing its intentions. This approach has allowed the country to maintain healthy relations with nearly all actors. Thirdly, inability to airlift troops due to the sorry state of the Goma airport, and recent deterioration in relations, has made withdrawal through Tanzania inevitable.
Reports indicate that the SAMI-DRC troops will transit through Rwanda and congregate at a designated area in Chato, Geita region. Privacy will be a critical concern for SAMI-DRC due to a pattern of sensational coverage by a network of M23-affiliated media over the last six months.
If the withdrawal goes ahead via Rwanda, the troops will most likely enter Tanzania through the Rusumo border. The choice of Chato makes logistical sense, due to the presence of a three-kilometre tarmac airport that was completed in 2018. The runaway can support relatively large transport planes, and would therefore be suitable for evacuation of both troops and heavy equipment.
Apart from a suitable runaway, Tanzania’s north eastern border has a network of military installations that could easily provide logistical equipment and support to SAMI-DRC troops, once they cross the border. History of instability in the neighbouring countries made a higher level of readiness necessary, hence the availability of useful capacity.
When the Chiefs of Defence Forces of Malawi, South Africa and Tanzania met in Dar es Salaam in early April, they agreed to withdraw their troops from the DRC as soon as possible. Although the exact timeline remains unclear, there is no doubt that the success of the initiative hinges largely on Tanzania’s coordination and input. A cautious participant has been compelled to play a central role in the mission’s termination. It is a delicate operation that could blow out in the regional media if not carefully handled.
Dastan Kweka is the founder of Fikra Institute and a PhD candidate in Political Science. He’s available at info@fikrainstitute.org or on X as @KwekaKweka. These are the writer’s own opinions and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of The Chanzo. Do you want to publish in this space? Contact our editors at editor@thechanzo.com for further inquiries.
