The East African Community (EAC) regional force initiated its withdrawal from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Sunday, following Kinshasa’s decision to deem it ineffective and decline the renewal of its mandate.
The regional troops had been deployed in the region last November in response to the reemergence of the M23 rebel group.
Initially invited by DRC authorities to reclaim areas seized by rebels, the future of the deployment became uncertain after President Felix Tshisekedi accused the force of cohabiting with the rebels rather than compelling them to disarm.
In a summit on November 25, the EAC declared that the DRC “would not renew the mandate of the regional force beyond 8 December 2023.”
The first batch of approximately 100 Kenyan soldiers, part of the regional force that includes soldiers from Uganda, Burundi, and South Sudan, departed from Goma airport for Nairobi.
A spokesperson on the ground confirmed the withdrawal but did not provide details on further troop movements.
Despite the withdrawal, clashes persist between the M23 group and the DRC army, supported by a militia self-identified as “patriots.”
On October 24, a Kenyan soldier from the regional force lost his life due to shrapnel.
Numerous armed groups and militias have operated in the eastern DRC for three decades, a consequence of regional conflicts in the 1990s and 2000s.
The UN Stabilization Mission (MONUSCO) has been present in the country since 1999, but it too faces accusations of ineffectiveness.
Kinshasa has called for MONUSCO’s “accelerated” departure from January 2024.
Despite the ongoing conflict, general elections are scheduled for December 20 in the DRC, a country with a population of approximately 100 million.
President Tshisekedi, seeking a second term, faces challenges in two territories in eastern DRC’s North Kivu province due to the M23 conflict.
Tshisekedi is relying on security forces from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to replace the EAC.
However, the creation of a SADC force, proposed in May, has yet to materialize. Meanwhile, around a thousand former European soldiers, positioned as “instructors” by Kinshasa, have been in North Kivu since the end of 2022.
DRC authorities assert that the national army is strengthening itself to defend the territory and safeguard the country from neighboring threats.
