The Mubambiro base near the eastern Congolese town of Sake has become a death trap for the 2,400 South African troops stationed there. Hemmed in by mountains crawling with rebels of the M23, a Tutsi militant group backed by Rwanda, the South Africans are regularly shelled by precision-guided mortars. With no air defence or ability to warn of incoming artillery fire, casualties have mounted: seven soldiers have been killed and 33 wounded this year. The base is short of medicine, food and ammunition. Morale is dismal.
Why South Africa’s army is floundering in Congo
