A group of injured soldiers from the South African National Defense Force was repatriated on Tuesday from the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to an official statement.

The remaining troops are expected to arrive in South Africa throughout the week, the statement added.

South African soldiers were deployed in eastern Congo as part of a peacekeeping force under the Southern African Development Community mission in Congo.

About 200 soldiers in the mission departed for the border crossing into Rwanda on Monday and then traveled to Kigali airport, leaving the eastern city of Goma, which is controlled by M23 rebels, according to French broadcaster RFI.

The M23 rebels also urged all foreign forces in the region to leave, RFI reported Monday. Currently, the remaining South African, Malawian, and Tanzanian troops remain at their bases near Goma, and the rebels are negotiating their repatriation as well.

M23, one of several armed groups operating in eastern Congo, resurfaced in late 2021 and captured the city of Bukavu last week after seizing Goma in January, leading to the deaths of more than 7,000 people this year, according to Congolese Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka.

The rebels are now advancing toward Uvira, a city less than 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from Burundi’s economic capital, Bujumbura, according to media reports.

Kinshasa, the Congolese capital, has long accused Rwanda of backing the M23 and deploying troops in eastern Congo to support the rebels, allegations that Kigali has repeatedly denied. Anadolu News Agency