The mandate of the regional force of the East African Community on mission in the Congolese province of North Kivu has been renewed until September 08, 2023, when it was to end on June 1. This decision was taken during the 21st EAC Summit, in the presence of two Heads of State, which was held in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi.
Despite harsh criticism from Kinshasa about the presence of the EAC force and its mixed record, member states of the sub-regional organization have hailed the East African regional force for its achievements in matter of restoring peace and security in eastern DRC.
However, Kinshasa continues to denounce the cohabitation and complicity of the EAC military force with the M23 terrorists it is supposed to fight. This force did not fulfill its offensive role and was observed cohabiting on the ground with the M23 terrorists, which was not planned in the initial program.
The presence, inaction or inactivity of this military force annoys the deputies to the point where they feel that their presence risks becoming unnecessarily onerous and must be the subject of a cool assessment.
At the operational level, the terrorists of the M23 continue to reinforce their manpower in the areas controlled by the contingents of the regional force in anticipation of the resumption of the attacks.
In short, these events underscore the complexity of the security situation in eastern DRC and highlight the need for an effective and coordinated response to strengthen long-term security in the region.