During the Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State of the East African Community (EAC) held in Bujumbura on May 31, the cantonment phase of the terrorists of the March 23 Movement ( M23) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Heads of State decided to work with the Heads of Defense Forces, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and other stakeholders to visit and verify, in the coming weeks, the relevance of the Rumangabo camp for the pre-cantonment of M23 and other armed groups.
The choice of Rumangabo is of great strategic importance thanks to its location, located near the road linking the towns of Rutshuru and Goma. This military base also served as the headquarters of the M23 movement during the insurgency from 2012 to 2013.
Although President Félix Tshisekedi has announced that the terrorists will be cantoned near the town of Kindu, capital of Maniema province, Rumangabo seems to be a viable option for the pre-cantonment of M23 and other armed groups.
Angolan President Joao Lourenço has already guaranteed the demobilization of the M23 and President Tshisekedi has assured that elements of the Angolan army will soon deploy in eastern DRC to continue the supervision of the withdrawal process, so far. shy, of the M23, currently carried out by the elements of the Regional Force of the EAC.
The future of eastern DRC remains uncertain, particularly with regard to the security and stability of the region. However, these significant advances on the cantonment of armed groups such as the M23 are a step forward for the solution of this conflict thanks to the cooperation of regional leaders.