EAC | DRC CONFLICT | M23 REBELS

NAIROBI - East African Community (EAC) member states leaders have urged M23 rebels in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to lay down their arms and embrace consultations.

The leaders have also emphasised the urgent need for unconditional disarmament and the departure of foreign armed groups from the territory of eastern DRC.

The resolutions were reached after the third round of talks between DRC and Rwanda, over M23 rebels, held yesterday at Safari Park Hotel and Casino-Nairobi, Kenya. The inter-Congolese dialogue will end on December 3, 2022.

The chairperson of the summit of the EAC heads of state and Burundi president Évariste Ndayishimiye, Kenya President William Ruto, former Kenya president Uhuru Kenyatta, representatives from the EAC, the African Union, and the United Nations, attended the meeting.

According to a communique dated November 28, 2022, the leaders also recalled the decisions made recently in which they authorised the use of force against the M23 rebels, if they do not observe a ceasefire and withdraw from positions they currently occupy in eastern DR Congo.

Burundi's President Evariste Ndayishimiye (L) speaks during the opening of East African Community (EAC)- led Nairobi Process, the third peace talk on the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in Nairobi on November 28, 2022. (AFP Photo)

The one-day ultimatum to M23 rebels had been issued last Wednesday, November 23, 2022, during the Luanda mini-summit, which was convened by the President of Angola and mediator of the peace talks between DRC and Rwanda, Joao Manuel Lourenco.

“We recall the decisions of the 22nd ordinary summit of EAC heads of state held in July 2022, the high-level consultative meeting held in Sharm El Sheihk, Egypt on November 7, and the mini-summit on peace and security in the eastern Congo held in Luanda, Angola on November 23, and call for full compliance,” Ndayishimiye said.

Ndayishimiye appealed to all partners to commit to supporting initiatives aimed at promoting peace and consolidating stability in the region.

“We are cognizant of the high expectations the region and international community have in this process. I am appealing to all partners to commit to supporting initiatives aimed at promoting peace and consolidating stability in the region,” he said.

The EAC leaders restated the need for complementarity of the political and military intervention to secure lasting peace in eastern DR Congo, with emphasis on the political process as the path to sustainable peace and security.

They noted with concern the dire plight of refugees and internationally displaced persons in eastern DR Congo and within the region and re-affirmed the urgent need for restoration of peace that will allow for voluntary return and settlement of refugees. 

The leaders also underscored the need for the EAC partner states and the international community to settle their commitments to the Nairobi process and accelerate the implementation of the agreed outcomes.

During the meeting, Ruto said Kenya is committed to supporting the restoration of peace in eastern DR Congo.

Kenya's Presdent William Ruto (L) speaks during the opening of East African Community (EAC)- led Nairobi Process, the third peace talk on the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in Nairobi on November 28, 2022. (AFP)

“Our security and progress are dependent on that of the region. The pursuit of peace is thus an inevitable precondition for our prosperity,” Ruto said.

The dialogue, according to East African Community (EAC) communications officer Lillian Kiarie, will incorporate consultations among armed groups in eastern Congo, local community leaders, civil society and other relevant stakeholders, to find sustainable solutions to the protracted security situation.

Talks in Luanda

Early this month, DRC foreign affairs minister Lutundula Apala Oen’Apala and his Rwandan counterpart, Biruta, held talks in Luanda, Angola.

During the Luanda meeting, the two foreign affairs ministers agreed to de-escalate tension and resolve their emerging differences through dialogue.

DRC officials allege that Rwanda supports M23 rebels. On the other hand, Rwanda also alleges that DRC supports the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, a rebel group Kigali accuses of inciting genocide tendencies.

Fighting

The unstable eastern DRC has witnessed fierce fighting in recent months between Congolese troops and the M23 rebel group, prompting the deployment of the EAC regional force (EACRF) to quell the violence.

Kenyan soldiers arrived in the country earlier this month and Uganda said it would deploy about 1, 000 troops before November 30, 2022.

In his recent visit to DRC, Ruto described the presence of Kenyan troops in eastern Congo as a peace “enforcement” force that will make sure that the troubled east of DRC is pacified.

The M23 first came to prominence 10 years ago when it captured Goma, before being driven out. It re-emerged late last year, claiming that DRC had failed to honour a pledge to integrate its fighters into the army, among other grievances.