The commander of the East Africa Community Regional Force (EACRF) and Kenyan Maj Gen Jeff Nyagah have resigned.
Maj Gen Nyagah resigned in a letter to the East Africa Community Secretariat on April 27, 2023.
This although expected, caught many off guard.
He has been the commander of the force deployed to tackle rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since September 2022.
“I have the pleasure to inform you of my exit from the mission area due to an aggravated threat to my safety and a systematic plan to frustrate efforts of the EACRF.”
“Honourable Secretary General, as you are aware, there was an attempt to intimidate my security at my former residence by deploying foreign military contractors (mercenaries) who placed monitoring devices, flew drones and conducted physical surveillance of my residence in early January 2023 forcing me to relocate,” read part of the letter.
“There have also been well-orchestrated and financed negative media campaigns targeted at my personality and direct written false accusations of EAR’s complacency on the handling of the M23 group.”
He added the issue is further enhanced by the current push by the government of DRC to have the FC rotated every three months, which was not envisioned in the current mandate.
“Additionally, the recent suspension of the EACRF Facebook Account is an indication of possible sabotage of the Regional Force efforts,” he said.
“This is equally compounded by the government of DRC’s failure to pay administrative costs including Force Headquarters Offices, Staff Officer’s accommodation, electricity as well as salaries for civilian staff as per Article 9 (c) and (d) of the Status of Force Agreement (SOFA).”
The letter added: “Honourable Secretary General, it is with this in mind and further assessment that I have come to the conclusion that my security as the Force Commander is not guaranteed within the operation area.”
“Further, the ongoing frustration has rendered my mission untenable hence the precautionary decision to exit the mission area.”
He expressed his profound gratitude to the EAC Heads of State, the Secretariat and the Chiefs of the Defence Forces/Staff for the support accorded to him during the period of my leadership as the Force Commander – EACRF.
He handed over to Brig Emmanuel Kaputa of DRC who is his deputy and informed him he may not go back to DRC.
Maj Gen Nyagah has had a confrontation with DRC president Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo over the manner in which he ran the outfit.
His role in DRC involved issuing directives to all soldiers with the mission’s success depending on his leadership.
The troops from regional countries are in the area to help fight various rebel groups that have been terrorizing locals.
The groups include M23.
The M23, which is waging its most sustained offensive since capturing swathes of territory in 2012-13, has been accused of flouting a ceasefire process and summarily executing civilians.
The unrest has spurred anti-Rwandan sentiment in Congo and local opposition to a U.N. peacekeeping mission.
And since the regional troops were deployed to the area, they have achieved much and brought stability with the rebel groups vacating places they occupied.
Maj Gen Nyagah’s role also involved meeting with leaders deployed to lead peace talks, including former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
His past experience
In February 2021, Nyagah was deployed to Somalia to lead the war against the terrorist group Al Shabaab.
He commanded the KDF forces and worked under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) until February 2022.
During that time, he collaborated with the Somalia National Army (SNA) in providing security and sustaining military pressure to degrade al Shabaab.
“The significant progress made during Brig. Jeff Nyagah’s tenure reflects the strategic benefits of the close collaboration between AMISOM forces and the SNA,” AMISON described his achievements then.
Nyagah was also credited for initiating Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) projects, which were critical in addressing the basic needs of the local communities in Somalia.
