S. Africa withdraws all peace-keeping soldiers from CAR

The South African government has withdrawn all peace-keeping soldiers deployed to the Central African Republic (CAR) and they are now back home, the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) announced on Tuesday.

In a statement the SANDF spokesperson Brigadier General Xolani Mabanga confirmed that their CAR peace-keeping mission has been terminated, saying "all the SANDF personnel who were still in the CAR have been withdrawn and are back home safe."

In 2007, South Africa deployed military personnel to the CAR to help that country's army with capacity building and other training needs. Earlier this year additional South African soldiers were deployed in the CAR when a civil war broke out between its rebels and the government troops.

On March 23, 13 South African peace-keeping soldiers were killed and 27 others wounded during a clash with the rebels in the CAR capital of Bangui.

The CAR rebels have since seized power by staging a coup, and the South Africa government said that the military cooperation agreements with the previous democratically-elected CAR government can no longer be held.

South African President Jacob Zuma first announced his intention to withdraw the peace-keeping troops from the CAR on Wednesday.

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