President Cyril Ramaphosa defended South Africa’s military presence in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, calling it a “noble mission” during a memorial service in Tshwane for 14 soldiers killed in January clashes with M23 rebels.

South Africa has deployed 2,000 troops as part of United Nations and Southern African Development Community peacekeeping operations in eastern DRC, where government forces are battling M23 rebels.

The soldiers’ deaths mark South Africa’s heaviest peacekeeping casualties since 15 troops were killed in the Central African Republic in 2013. Their remains were repatriated this week.

“We are a trusted country and a reliable country when it comes to peacebuilding,” Ramaphosa said at the memorial service, responding to mounting pressure from analysts and political parties to withdraw forces.

The president warned that withdrawal would dishonor the fallen soldiers’ sacrifices. The troops remain stationed at bases in Goma, a city recently captured by M23 rebels.

SANDF Chief Rudzani Maphwanya defended the mission’s readiness against critics who labeled it a “suicide mission” with inadequate equipment. “Our people were armed, resourced, and capable of meeting the challenge that they faced,” he said at the service.

The joint SADC and UN peacekeeping operations are scheduled to continue through the end of 2025, despite growing domestic pressure to reconsider South Africa’s involvement following the recent casualties.