The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has signed a troop deployment agreement with the East African Community (EAC), indicating that forces will be sent to combat rebels in the Eastern part of the Country.
President Félix Tshisekedi was present when Foreign Minister Christophe Lutundula and EAC Secretary-General Peter Mathuki signed the agreement.
Mr. Lutundula stated that “the deployment of this force will be in execution of the political will expressed by all of the community’s Heads of State, namely to definitively resolve the issue of stability, security, and peace in the Great Lakes region within the community.”
As part of the EAC mission, Dr. Mathuki and Macharia Kamau, Kenya’s special representative to the Nairobi Process, which President Uhuru Kenyatta launched to promote peace in the DRC, have been in Kinshasa to discuss the most important issues for furthering integration and taking advantage of investment opportunities in the area.
The EAC summit of Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and the DRC decided on the troop deployment in June. The EAC Summit later approved it, demonstrating a unanimous decision by the group to support the DRC peace process.
However, the actual deployment has been postponed pending the signing of a formal agreement outlining the terms of reference, legal obligations and rights of troops, and financial responsibilities of troop contributors. Before troops are deployed, the EAC agreement is supposed to be signed by individual member states.
Mr Kamau emphasized that the security situation in eastern DRC is extremely concerning. He stated that eradicating the threat will necessitate greater regional and international cooperation and collaboration.
In April, an East African summit in Nairobi decided to establish a regional force made up of troops from member countries that would be deployed to the troubled provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri to combat insecurity.
The DRC authorities have ruled out Rwanda’s participation in the force, citing allegations of Rwandan army support for Congolese M23 rebels.
Burundian troops have been deployed in South Kivu since August 15 to fight local armed groups and rebels from that country in eastern Congo. According to DRC officials, this deployment was part of the East African regional force. South Sudan has also prepared 750 soldiers to join the regional force expected in eastern Congo.
The diplomatic mission was also in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to assist Kinshasa in better understanding the integration pillars and the various governance instruments of the EAC, such as protocols, laws, regulations, policies and strategies, in order to ensure a smooth entry into the community for the DRC.
