President William Ruto will Sunday evening depart the country for a one-day official visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The President will hold bilateral talks with his host His Excellency President Felix Tshisekedi on areas of mutual interest, including trade and investments, regional integration and the security situation in Eastern DRC.
Kenya is playing 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 in the Eastern part of the country, to restore peace and security in Eastern DRC. Kenya has also sent its troops for a peacekeeping mission in the region, as part of the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF).
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.
This comes as M23 rebels and DR Congo troops clash heavily in North Kivu province.
Thousands of people have been displaced in the volatile eastern region of the DRC as fighting between the army and M23 rebels continues.
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.
Later on Monday November 21, 2022, Ruto will embark on a three-day official visit to the Republic of Korea for bilateral talks with President Yoon Suk-Yeol.
State House said the president will explore partnerships in key sectors of the government’s economic transformation agenda, including agriculture, energy, infrastructure and public health, with engagements that will culminate to the signing of trade agreements between the two nations.
Kenya will also advance negotiations to open markets for her exports as part of growing bilateral trade. Kenya and the Republic of Korea enjoy cordial ties founded on common values, mutual trust and benefit.
