JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A South African soldier deployed in Congo has shot dead a colleague and then turned the gun on himself, authorities said Saturday.
The South African National Defense Force, which oversees the country’s armed forces, said the soldier used his official service weapon.
It said it had convened a board of inquiry to work with the peacekeeping force in Congo to investigate the incident, adding that the remains of the two soldiers would be repatriated to South Africa in due course.
South Africa has soldiers in Congo as part of the Southern African Development Community’s mission to fight against armed rebel groups in the east.
South Africa announced in February that it would be deploying an additional 2,900 soldiers to the mission.
Two weeks ago, two South African soldiers were killed and three injured when a mortar landed in their base in eastern Congo amid increased unrest in the region.