South Africa says it has withdrawn its forces from the Central African Republic (CAR), where the government was overthrown by a coup in March.

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) published a statement on Tuesday saying the soldiers "have been withdrawn and are back home safe."

In March, 13 South African soldiers lost their lives and 27 others were injured in two clashes with the Seleka rebels in the CAR.

South African media have said that the forces were deployed in order to protect business deals between South African President Jacob Zuma and toppled CAR President Francois Bozize.

However, Pretoria strongly denies the allegations and the South African Department of Defence said the troops were dispatched to the CAR to train soldiers from the ousted regime.

A further 200 soldiers from South Africa were deployed to the CAR in January to protect the South African trainers, it added.

The number of soldiers, who went back to their country, was not disclosed, and the military said it could "account for each and every person that was deployed."

Also on Tuesday, the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party unveiled a 2006 deal between the two countries that included cooperation on "energy and mines."

On Monday, the SANDF said that the South African government would dispatch troops to the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of UN Organization Stabilization Mission (MONUSCO).

Leading thousands of the Seleka rebels, Michel Djotodia captured the CAR capital Bangui and proclaimed himself president after seizing power from Bozize on March 24.

Following the coup, Djotodia created a transitional government headed by Prime Minister Nicolas Tiangaye and promised elections in three years.

The Seleka fighters launched the offensive against the government in December 2012.

There are many mineral resources, including gold and diamonds, in the Central African Republic. However, the country is extremely poor and has faced a series of rebellions and coups since it gained independence in 1960.