South Africa has announced the withdrawal of its troops from a United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office said on Saturday that he had informed the UN Secretary‑General, Antonio Guterres, of the decision.

South Africa has supported the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC for 27 years and has more than 700 soldiers deployed there.

The Presidency said Pretoria will work jointly with the UN to finalise the timelines and other modalities of the withdrawal, which will be completed before the end of this year.

It said the decision to leave MONUSCO was influenced by the need to consolidate and realign the resources of the national defence force.

Pretoria said, however, it will maintain close ties with Kinshasa and continue to support regional, continental, and UN efforts to bring lasting peace to the the DRC.

MONUSCO’s mandate is to counter the many rebel groups who have been fighting for decades in eastern Congo, a region that has recently seen an escalation in fighting.

When its mandate was extended in December, it had a total of nearly 11,000 troops and police deployed in the country.