The East Africa Community- led Nairobi Process, on restoration of peace and security in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – Third Inter-Congolese dialogue, is scheduled to commence on Monday, November 28, 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya.
The meeting is aimed at accelerating the ongoing regional efforts to attain sustainable peace and security in Eastern DRC as elaborated by various efforts of the EAC Heads of State.
The peace talks reaffirm the commitment of the Heads of State of the EAC, Great Lakes region and Africa at large, to finding lasting solution to the security challenges in the Eastern DRC.
Kenya plays a crucial role as a member of the East African Community in support of the ‘Nairobi Peace Process’ that involves talks between the government of DRC and the armed groups aimed at restoring peace and security in Eastern DRC.
Kenya has sent its troops for a peacekeeping mission in the region as part of the East African Community Regional Force.
President William Ruto ordered the deployment of 903 soldiers from KDF to join a regional peacekeeping mission EACRF-DRC.
The Kenyan troops will join others from Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania on the mission in Eastern DRC.
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.
