NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov, 2 – Earlier this year, the seven heads of State in the East African Community (EAC) bloc struck an accord to set up the joint force geared towards restoring peace and security in parts of the vast Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Amid heightened tension and fighting in Eastern DRC, President William Ruto on Wednesday oversaw the flagging off of a contingent of Kenya Defense Forces (KDF)soldiers under the auspices of the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF).
He was speaking on Wednesday at Embakasi Garrison.
Kenya is now expected to spearhead command of the force that will include troops from Uganda, South Sudan, and Burundi.
Kenya is now expected to set up its command base in Goma where it will be domiciled for the next six months pending further directives.
“This deployment is significant and urgent as it responds to the collective aspirations of a sustainable peace in our region. We owe our brotherly duty to DRC until the job is done,” said Ruto.
Ruto further said that the region had a responsibility to work together in order to end the conflict and violence that has denied the region the space to prosper.
“The destiny of DRC is intertwined with ours,”, he said.
Kenya had in recent months deployed scores of KDF troops to Congo as part of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission (MONUSCO).
The latest contingent of the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) comprising over 200 KDF personnel was flagged off at Embakasi Garrison back in August,23,2022 after undertaking a five-month rigorous pre-deployment training that was geared towards making them mission ready ahead of the deployment.
The QRF team shall continue with the implementation of the MONUSCO mandate to neutralize armed belligerents in Eastern DRC.
Meanwhile, former president Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday condemned the escalation of conflict in parts of the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Kenyatta who is Kenya’s African Union (AU) peace envoy called on the parties involved to “agree to a cessation of hostilities” and engage in peace talks.
Kenyatta who is also the East African Community (EAC) facilitator of the inter -Congolese Consultations and Dialogue on peace restoration, further emphasized that there is no military solution to the conflict but that embracing peaceful talks.
“The EAC calls on the parties to the current skirmishes to immediately halt their offensives, agree to a cessation of hostilities, allow for unhindered and sustained humanitarian access, withdraw and vacate from occupied areas and pursue a negotiated settlement through peace talks,” he said in a statement.
He also censured conflicts in part of South Kivu urging armed groups to voluntarily lay down their arms and participate in the National Disarmament and Demobilization Programme.
On Monday, Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame said he had a good discussion with the UNSG on the conflict in East DRC.
“The ways and means to de-escalate…& address the issues to a peaceful end are with us building on the Nairobi, Luanda & other international efforts! We just have to commit ourselves to apply them!”
The conflict in the region known to be mineral-rich has been the battleground for more than a hundred armed groups fighting for control of territory there or using it as a base to launch attacks into some of its immediate neighbors – Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Rwanda, and Uganda.
According to a recent count by the United Nations (UN), at least 122 rebel groups have been fighting for more than 25 years.
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