East African heads of state have met for a closed-door meeting in Kenya to discuss the deteriorating security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where the DRC army has been fighting a resurgence of M23 rebels.
The rebels are a group of mainly Tutsi fighters who were defeated in 2013 by the Congolese army and UN peacekeepers. The DRC accused Rwanda of supporting the rebels, which Rwanda denies, sparking a diplomatic dispute between neighboring countries.
Six out of seven regional leaders attended the East African Community (EAC) meeting, including DRC President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, chairman of the EAC, convened the meeting of the bloc to discuss the deployment of a regional force in eastern DRC, which leaders hope will restore peace in the region.
Tens of thousands of people have been forcibly displaced in the latest wave of fighting between government forces and rebels who claim to be part of the M23. In a statement announcing Monday’s meeting in Nairobi, Kenyatta said the people of eastern DRC “had suffered for a long time and continue to pay an excessively high price for the loss of lives, property and property. dodgy peace “.
Kenyatta has stepped up mediation efforts between the DRC and Rwanda since the former joined the EAC in April this year.
Analysts say escalating the conflict is crucial. “Tensions between the two countries could destabilize a region that is already facing political instability,” said Nelleke van de Walle, project director for the Crisis Group’s Great Lakes Region project.
Long-standing tensions between the DRC and Rwanda date back to the 1994 Rwandan genocide, following a mass exodus of Rwandan Hutu refugees accused of killing Tutsis in eastern DRC. Relations between the two countries improved when Tshisekedi took office in 2019, but worsened after the resurgence of the M23.
Kenyatta said the regional force proposed by EAC leaders will work alongside local authorities and Monusco, a UN force in the DRC, to disarm anyone carrying illegal weapons. The DRC welcomed the bloc’s security co-operation effort, but was opposed to Rwanda’s involvement in the force.
Tensions between the two countries deepened on Friday after a Congolese soldier was killed while attacking border guards inside Rwandan territory, prompting the DRC to close its border with Rwanda. According to Van de Walle, cross-border attacks between the two countries could attract other nations in the region.
The closure of the border came after hundreds of people protested against Rwanda in Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, in late May. In recent days, hate speech against Rwandans in the DRC has increased.
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Van de Walle said joining a regional force under a unified command was an interesting development and would be a stronger option than neighboring countries deploying their own forces separately. However, he expressed concern that “having more boots in the DRC could lead to more instability rather than curbing violence.”