Burundi will be starting on March 4 to deploy troops to the East African Regional Force in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
This was confirmed by Burundi Chief of Defence Forces General Prime Niyongabo who added it was in line with the roadmap set by the EAC Chiefs of Defence Forces/Staffs (CDF/CDS) on 9th February 2023, in Nairobi, Kenya.
All other EAC troops contributing Partner States will shortly deploy within the agreed time frame, a statement from EAC said.
The deployment is part of the implementation of directives by the 20th Extra-Ordinary Summit of EAC Heads of State held on February 4, 2023, in Bujumbura, Burundi.
The other meeting was of the EAC Chiefs of Defence Forces/Staffs (CDF/CDS) convened on February 9, 2023, in Nairobi,
Kenya and Mini-Summit on Peace and Security in Eastern DRC held on the sidelines of the 36th African Union Summit on February 17, 2023, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The timeline of constituting and deploying the EAC Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (EAC- MVM), to monitor and verify the ceasefire and withdrawal by all Armed Groups, was set for February 28, 2023.
EAC Partner States have since identified members of the EAC Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (EAC-MVM) who will join other existing mechanisms such as the Ad-hoc Verification Mechanism and Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism in Eastern DRC.
The chairperson of the Summit of EAC Heads of State and President of Burundi Évariste Ndayishimiye, on March 2, 2023, held a consultative meeting with the Commanders of the Verification Mechanisms, with a view to reviewing the progress and setting up a joint verification framework in line with the directive of the Mini-Summit on Peace and Security in Eastern DRC held on February 17, 2023, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
EAC Secretary General Peter Mutuku Mathuki said their quest to find a sustainable solution to the restoration of peace and security in Eastern DRC has received support from across the globe.
During the just concluded 36th African Union (AU) Summit, the African Union Peace and Security Council committed funds to support EAC peacemaking efforts in Eastern DRC, from the African Union Peace Fund.
Other development partners and global bodies have also committed to continuing to support the process.
“The EAC remains committed to the utilization of existing regional and global frameworks to address the security crisis,” said Mathuki in a statement.
He reiterated the EAC Heads of State’s call for an immediate ceasefire, withdrawal of all armed groups in eastern DRC and embracing of dialogue.
The troops will join others from Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, South Sudan and Tanzania on the mission in Eastern DRC.
President William Ruto ordered the deployment of 903 soldiers from KDF to join a regional peacekeeping mission-the East African Community Regional Force to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
A mostly Congolese Tutsi group, the M23 (the March 23 Movement) leapt to prominence in 2012 when it briefly captured Goma before being driven out.
After lying dormant for years, the rebels took up arms again in late 2021, claiming the DRC had failed to honour a pledge to integrate them into the army, among other grievances.
The resurgence has ratcheted up diplomatic tensions, with the DRC accusing its smaller neighbour Rwanda of backing the group.
Rwanda denies providing any support for the M23 and accuses the Congolese army of colluding with the Forces for the
Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) — a notorious Hutu rebel movement involved in the 1994 genocide of Tutsis in Rwanda.
President Uhuru Kenyatta is leading peace talks in the region.
