His Excellency Uhuru KENYATTA, President of the Republic of Kenya (left standing) receives President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo at State House, in Nairobi where the leaders of East African countries ( EAC) met on inter-Congolese Dialogue of the Nairobi process in Kenya to discuss the prolonged security crisis in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo June 20, 2022 (Credit: Twitter.com/presidence_rdc)
By Atwine Allen – DIPLOMATIC TIMES CORRESPONDENT
KAMPALA, UGANDA – The leaders of East African countries ( EAC) held a closed door- meeting, 3rd EAC Heads of State conclave on inter-Congolese Dialogue of the Nairobi process in Kenya on Monday to discuss the prolonged security crisis in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo , where the DRC military has been fighting a resurgence of M23 rebels. The EAC agreed to send a regional force to the DRC to help end the ongoing violence.
The Heads of State also directed that an immediate ceasefire should be enforced and cessation of hostilities should commence immediately, including withdrawal from recently taken positions.
The EAC is the regional intergovernmental organization of the Republics of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania with its Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. Six out of seven regional leaders were present at the East African Community (EAC) meeting , including the DRC president Felix Tshisekedi, the Rwandan president Paul Kagame, President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, who doubles as the Chair of EAC convened the meeting in the hope to restore peace in the region and to discuss the modalities of deploying a regional forces to eastern DRC .
President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo at State House, in Nairobi where the leaders of East African countries ( EAC) met on inter-Congolese Dialogue of the Nairobi process in Kenya to discuss the prolonged security crisis in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo June 20, 2022 (Credit: Twitter.com/presidence_rdc)
The Congolese army and United Nation (UN) peacekeepers defeated the Tutsi rebels group in 2013 but the DRC had accused Rwanda government of backing them. Rwanda government however denied this allegation which later led to a diplomatic row between the neighbouring Countries. Our correspondent gathered that the latest war in DRC has displaced about 37,000 people in less than four days since it broke out between the government forces and rebels claiming to be part of the M23. President Kenyatta, in a statement on Monday in Nairobi said the people of Eastern DRC had ” long suffered and continue to pay an inordinately heavy price in loss of lives, property and elusive peace” in that war.
Kenyatta has stepped up mediation efforts between DRC and Rwanda since the former joined the EAC in April this year. The President of Kenya in the meeting noted that the regional force proposed by EAC leaders would work alongside local authorities and Monusco ( a UN force in DRC) to disarm anyone bearing illegal weapons. Meanwhile the DRC government commended the resolution of the bloc but however rejected Rwanda”s participation in the force. Thousands of DRC citizens have continued to pass hate speeches against Rwandans for its active support for the rebel group.
