
President Lazarus Chakwera, who is the Commander in Chief of the Malawi Defence Force (MDF), has ordered the commander of MDF, Paul Valentino Phiri, to start preparing for the withdrawal of Malawian troops from the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to State House media, the withdrawal comes in the wake of a declaration of ceasefire by warring parties and to pave the way for negotiations.
The M23 rebels announced late on Monday that it would implement a unilateral ceasefire starting on Tuesday
The group, backed by thousands of troops from neighbouring Rwanda, seized Goma, the main city in eastern DRC, last week, with the United Nations estimating 900 people were killed, while hundreds of thousands have been displaced.
The order follows the demand by various stakeholders who advised Chakwera to withdraw from the war because it is not in the best interest of Malawi.