The mandate of the regional force of the East African Community deployed in the Congolese province of North Kivu has been renewed until 08 September 2023. This decision was taken by the Heads of State members of the East African Community at a summit held last Wednesday. The two Heads of State, William Ruto of Kenya and Evariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi were present during this meeting.
Even if Kinshasa continues to denounce the cohabitation and the complicity of the military force of the EAC with the terrorists of the M23 whom it received the mandate to fight, the member countries of this sub-regional organization unexpectedly congratulated the force Regional Council of the East African Community for its work in restoring peace and security in eastern DRC.
According to the statements of Félix Tshisekedi, President of the DRC and his government, the regional force does not fulfill its assigned role and is confined to cohabiting with the M23 terrorists, whom it is supposed to fight in North Kivu. This unnecessarily onerous presence represents a burden for the DRC and can lead to the evaluation of the measures to be taken to correct this situation, according to Congolese elected officials. However, the renewal of the mandate of the East African military force comes in a particularly tense context with Kinshasa.
The Minister of National Defense of the Democratic Republic of Congo notes that the terrorists of the M23 continue to reinforce their number in anticipation of the resumption of attacks against the armed forces of the DRC. According to him, all these M23 operations take place in areas controlled by the contingents of the regional force.
The DRC is facing an extremely fragile security situation, to the benefit of armed groups, especially since the arrival of Félix Tshisekedi as president. The question then arises as to whether this renewal of the mandate represents a solution for the pacification of the region or whether it only accentuates the problems of the DRC. Only the future will tell us.
In conclusion, this decision to renew the mandate of the East African Community regional force is a hot topic. The DRC is constantly plagued by difficulties in pacifying the region, and the renewal of the mandate of the East African military force raises the question of the impact of its presence and its commitment in resolving the security situation in the region. eastern DRC