South Africa deploys 510 troops amid Durban unrest

President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorized 510 South African National Defence Force soldiers to support police in KwaZulu-Natal through November 30, under Operation Prosper, at an estimated cost of R34 million. The troops are intended to help contain anti-immigrant unrest, with the deployment following renewed violence in Durban and a request for military assistance from the provincial premier; it also comes ahead of municipal elections. Protests included looting and torched vehicles, and a Ugandan national was beaten to death during a march on October 22; police made arrests in connection with the killing and other public-order offenses. Officials say misinformation about a Constitutional Court ruling on asylum applications helped fuel tensions, clarifying that the ruling restored access to an asylum process for some applicants but did not grant automatic refugee status or blanket amnesty.