Oral East AfricaEast Africa will hold an Extraordinary Summit on the unfolding crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after fighting broke out in the Eastern parts of the country following an offensive by M23 rebels.
Kenyan President William Ruto has said DRC president Félix Tshisekedi and his Rwandese counterpart Paul Kagame have agreed to talks in an extraordinary regional crisis meeting to be held within two days
President Ruto, the chair of the EAC, said he had called on the parties to the Luanda process and the two presidents, to heed the call for peace from the people of our region and the international community.
According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre reports, the violent conflict displaced over two million people within the country in the first half of 2024, with the latest spate of violence expected to escalate the situation.
“After consulting the Heads of State of EAC Member States, we will convene an Extraordinary Summit in the next 48 hours to chart the way forward,” President Ruto said.
Read also: Why Rwandese speak in tongues
The return to the table could mark a turning point for the crisis that broke out in late 2021 and has seen parties walk away and negotiations falter.
Ethnic conflict
The current DRC crisis stems from weaponisation of anti-Rwandese ethnic sentiment in Congo during President Tshisekedi re- re-election where he allegedly turned to ethnic incitement, a dangerous strategy given the fragility of DRC and the history of civil war.
Rwanda is said to back the March 23 Movement (M23) formed to fight after the Congolese government failed to implement a 2009 peace treaty, which has sought to defend Congolese Tutsi from other rebel groups and their own government’s aggression.
The East African country has mobilized along the border its neighbor DRC stating that the fighting poses a security risk, especially since former Rwandese rebels who participated in the 90s genocide, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda FDLR are active in the conflict.
The Rwandese government accused DRC president Tshisekedi of refusing to negotiate with M23 and walking out of the Luanda process for the intensification of the fighting.
“Rwanda is committed to the pursuit of a political solution to the conflict. However, the Luand a process must not be personalized or taken as an end in itself but as a tool to resolve security concerns between Rwanda and DRC,”
Regional crisis
The DRC crisis had drawn in multiple parties including the United Nations and regional neigbours to try and solve the crisis including SADC and EAC blocks.
South Africa has deployed the military in support for the DRC government under SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC) and suffered 9 casualties in the latest onslaught as a result. SAMIDRC in November last year extended its mandate but has been unable to bring stability in the DRC and faces partisan accusations.
President Ruto said EAC will attempt to coordinate the various parties in a bid to bring a speedy end to the conflict.
“The EAC stands ready to forge stronger collaboration with the African Union, Southern African Development Community, and the international community in encouraging the warring parties to give priority to dialogue,” President Ruto said.
External extraction
The international efforts to end the violence in DRC have not been effective mainly because they come with ulterior motives to secure mineral operations and defend regional and global interests.
DRC is a hodgepodge of foreign interests that have captured different political elites to back the extraction of minerals from one of Africa’s oldest rock formations.
There are mining interests by global corporations, America, Israel, South Africa and even neighboring Rwanda.
When the M23 was fighting with DRC government forces to take over Goma foreign Mercenaries forces were spotted guarding mineral sites.
Discover more from Orals East Africa
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
