From Luanda, where he took part in a quadripartite summit, the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Félix Tshisekedi, expressed his wish to see the regional forces present in the east of the country be coordinated by the Congolese Armed Forces. This request for coordination aims to better manage the military operations of these forces on Congolese soil.
According to Tshisekedi’s cabinet, the President stressed that the main issue to be resolved today is not the absence of a peace plan, but rather the execution of the joint roadmap of the Nairobi and Luanda. He also reiterated the DRC’s commitment to respect its commitments and hopes that all parties concerned will adopt the same provision.
This statement by Tshisekedi follows recent tensions between the DRC and the regional force of the East African Community (EAC) deployed in the east of the country. Last May, Tshisekedi criticized the effectiveness of this regional force and announced that its mandate would only be extended by three months instead of the duration requested by the Secretary General of the Community of African States. from the east. He had also warned that if the mandate was not fulfilled, the DRC would decide to separate from this force.
These statements provoked a reaction from Kenyan President William Ruto, who defended the effectiveness of the EAC regional force and underlined the progress made in stabilizing the security situation. Ruto claimed that the regional force had achieved in six months what the Congolese government had failed to do in thirty years.
This request for coordination of regional forces by the DRC illustrates the desire of the Congolese government to regain control of security in the east of the country. The issue of the coordination of forces and the execution of peace plans remains crucial to achieving lasting stability in the region.
It remains to be seen what the next steps will be in this request for coordination and whether it will lead to a reorientation of military operations in eastern DRC. The security situation in this region remains worrying and requires a concerted and effective approach to ensure peace and stability