African leaders have announced the withdrawal of thousands of troops from South Africa, Tanzania and Malawi, who were sent to fight insurgents in mineral-rich eastern Congo, where M23 rebels have killed peacekeepers while overrunning the region this year.

African leaders announced a phased military withdrawal from eastern Congo, involving troops from South Africa, Tanzania, and Malawi, deployed against insurgencies by M23 rebels. The decision follows increasing opposition and the deaths of peacekeepers.

Gaza’s children were barred from schooling as schools in the Palestinian enclave were either destroyed or turned into shelters for displaced families. Since the Israel-Hamas war started, hundreds of thousands of school-aged children have lost at least one academic year.

The troops were sent two years ago to support the Congolese army fight the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels. But at least 17 soldiers from South Africa, Malawi and Tanzania were killed when the M23 captured the key city of Goma in January.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) said on Thursday that a summit of regional heads of state had terminated the mandate of its troop deployment in the Democratic Republic of Congo and decided on a "phased withdrawal".