EAC and SADC meeting in East Africa: three-month term extended
A week ago, a meeting of the East African Community (EAC) was held in Bujumbura, Burundi. At the end of this meeting, the Heads of State and delegates of the member countries decided to extend the mandate of the EAC forces deployed in North Kivu until September. A few days later, the Congolese Deputy Prime and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Christophe Lutundula, affirmed that the mandate of the EAC forces would not be extended, but would end at the end of June.
At the same time, the idea of sending troops from the Economic Community for the Development of Southern Africa (SADC) was raised during the meeting of the interministerial advisory committee of the Great Lakes countries (CIRGL). This decision was taken a few weeks ago in Botswana. Troops from the SADC should also be deployed in North Kivu, but where will they position themselves while the EAC troops hunt down the M23 rebels?
Specialists fear that North Kivu will become a field of confrontation between the EAC and the SADC. Meanwhile, M23 rebels prepare to attack the town of Goma. Faced with this situation, the Congolese Defense Minister, Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, and Mbusa Nyamwisi, his colleague for Regional Integration, demand a firm condemnation from the CIRGL of any attempt to relaunch the war on the part of the rebels of M23 and Rwanda, its support. Indeed, the security situation in the DRC is worrying given the economic, social and political challenges it is facing.
For the moment, the mandate of the troops sent by the SADC is not clear. The security situation in North Kivu remains worrying and requires the involvement of various organizations to stabilize the region. The file remains sensitive and deserves special attention from the Congolese authorities and various partners.