South African troops participating under the umbrella of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will complete their withdrawal by the end of May.

This was announced by the South African National Defense Force Chief Gen. Rudzani Maphwanya in Pretoria, who also confirmed that a total of 13 trucks carrying 57 soldiers had already departed.

He further said that the withdrawal follows a peace truce between the Congolese army and the M23 rebels, which highlights the long-term objective that was being pursued by the SADC forces in the volatile region.

The SADC troops, which also include those from Tanzania and Malawi, had begun moving out from DRC earlier last week and had traveled through neighboring Rwanda to Tanzania and flew home from there.

Fourteen South African and three Malawian soldiers were killed in fighting with M23 in January.

The southern African regional body decided in March to end its peacekeeping mission early and bring the troops home.

M23 controls Goma and a second major city in eastern Congo and is supported by around 4,000 troops from Rwanda, according to experts from the United Nations. Congo and Rwanda have held talks mediated by Qatar and supported by the United States and say they are working toward a peace agreement.

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