The regional force set up to tackle militia violence in the east Democratic Republic of Congo was Wednesday extended to September, a minister and a spokesperson for the force said.
The seven countries of the East African Community (EAC) set up the East Africa Community Regional Force (EACRF) military force in April 2023 to try to end bloodshed linked to decades of militant activity in Congo’s east.
The force’s future had been uncertain since its mandate expired in March, and EAC leaders had expressed differing views on how it should operate.
Doubts over its effectiveness grew in April after the force’s head, Maj Gen Jeff Nyagah, said he had resigned due to obstruction and threats to his safety.
An EAC spokesperson confirmed reports that the force’s mandate had been extended to September during a summit in Burundi on Wednesday.
Congo’s Defense Minister Jean-Pierre Bemba also confirmed the reports.
President Felix Tshisekedi has been openly critical of the EACRF.
He accuses it of not being aggressive enough and failing to rein in the M23 rebel group, which launched an offensive in the east of the country last year.
Tshisekedi had initially agreed to extend the EACRF’s mandate until June.
The Congolese president warned the EACRF will have to leave the country by June if they are not effective on the ground.
On a visit to Gaborone in Botswana, where he has pushed for a plan B from the Southern African Development Cooperation (SADC) to send troops, the Congolese head of state accused the EACRF of ‘cohabiting’ with rebels after the regional troops declined to enter combat.
“The head of state said that under the terms of the EACRF’s mandate, by next June, if the results of its mission are not satisfactory, this contingent, which came to the rescue of the DRC, will have to leave Congolese territory for good,” the Congolese presidency said of his meeting with Botswana counterpart Mokgweetsi Masisi.
“The mandate of EACRF is ending in June, if by that time we assess that the mandate was not fulfilled, we will send those contingents home with honor and thank them for having tried to bring their share of contribution to peace in DRC.”
The EACRF, first deployed in November, includes troops from Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, and South Sudan.
Their Status of Force Agreement (SOFA), a pact between Kinshasa and the East African Community secretariat, initially gave them a mandate of six months which expired in March.
The EACRF says their mandate is peacekeeping and the protection of civilians while also supporting the political track on dialogue.
But DR Congo gave them three months, up to the end of June.
The SOFA, nonetheless, has not been signed to formally extend the mandate yet.
The Congolese president wants SADC troops to fight the M23.
A SADC summit in Windhoek, Namibia approved the deployment of its member troops to the DRC, although there was no immediate clarification on which countries would send forces.
Tshisekedi’s office has already announced that the SADC troops will have “an offensive mandate”.
SADC had once deployed troops to eastern DRC but still failed to end the menace of armed groups.
