South Africa’s government said on Thursday that it has received distress calls from 17 of its citizens who joined mercenary forces fighting in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and are now trapped in Ukraine’s war-ravaged Donbas region.
In a statement, the government said the men, aged between 20 and 39, had contacted South African authorities seeking assistance to return home after reportedly being caught in heavy fighting.
“President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered an investigation into the circumstances that led to the recruitment of these young men into these seemingly mercenary activities,” the statement said.
South Africa has strict laws prohibiting its citizens from participating in foreign armed conflicts without government authorization. The country’s Foreign Military Assistance Act makes it illegal to engage in mercenary activities, with offenders facing heavy fines or imprisonment.
Officials said Pretoria is working to verify the men’s identities and gather information about how they were recruited. The government did not specify whether the men had fought for Ukrainian or Russian-aligned forces.
The development highlights growing concerns over the involvement of foreign fighters in the nearly three-year-old war, which continues to draw volunteers and private military contractors from around the world despite repeated warnings from governments against such participation.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
