News: The 21st Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the EAC was recently held in Bujumbura, Burundi. On the program of this summit: assessments of the presence of the EAC contingent whose mandate has ended on September 8, 2023. The M23 troops for their part will have to be quartered in a new space shortly, even if the Rwanda attempted to integrate them into the future pre-cantonment site located in Rutshuru territory, north of Goma.
Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye praised the efforts made to promote the restoration of lasting peace in the DRC. The reports resulting from the meeting of the Chiefs of Staff and that of the 49th Extraordinary Summit of the Council of Ministers of the EAC were adopted, in particular defining the areas of deployment of the Regional Force.
The EAC also recommended close collaboration between the Regional Force and MONUSCO, as well as the appointment of a civilian head of mission to deal with the political aspect of future operations in symbiosis with the Regional Force.
Finally, the summit took note of the appointment of two deputy general secretaries of the EAC, as well as the appointment of Kayembe Kassanda Ignace-René to the post of judge at the Court of Justice.
However, the debates were marred by Rwanda’s request to integrate the M23 into the future pre-cantonment site. This request was firmly rejected by Mbusa Nyamwisi, representing the Head of State Felix Tshisekedi. South Sudan has also been met with a categorical refusal of its request to make an incursion into the DRC to hunt down its rebels.
The observers on site were thus able to observe that this 21st extraordinary summit of the Heads of State and Government of the EAC ended without any major breakthrough on the M23 file, leaving room for hope for future progress to come.