Congolese official says East African troops to leave by December

Officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo say the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) will leave the country by December 8, signalling a refusal to extend the troops' mandate.

The current EACRF mandate was extended for a second time last month for three months and expires on December 8.

But according to Communication Minister Patrick Muyaya, Kinshasa will not grant any further authorisation for a longer stay.

The DRC's message on the fate of the regional force, he said, had already been conveyed to East African Community leaders by Deputy Defence Minister Jean-Pierre Bemba at the extraordinary meeting of the East African Community (EAC) Sectoral Council on Defence Cooperation held in Arusha, Tanzania, last week.

"The message is clear: the EAC regional force must leave the Democratic Republic of Congo by December 8, as agreed, because it has not been able to resolve the problem, particularly that of the M23, which has been blocking the pre-cantonment process for two months, in accordance with the agreements signed in Luanda," explained Patrick Muyaya at a press conference held in Kinshasa on October 9.

“That was the message he conveyed. There will certainly be a meeting of heads of state afterwards, which will have to rule on the inability of the regional force to resolve this issue, and measures will be taken."

The Congolese authorities under President Félix Tshisekedi have often decried the "lack of effectiveness of the regional force" in dealing with the rebels in eastern Congo, mainly the M23, who took up arms again in 2021, and have called on the Congolese government to open a "direct dialogue" with them.

Currently, the government accuses the M23 of blocking the pre-cantonment process by maintaining control of strategic communication points in the territories of Masisi, Rutshuru and Nyiragongo in North Kivu, in violation of the roadmap signed in Luanda in search of peace. It accuses the EACRF of standing by while these violations take place.

But the FARDC has also been accused of using proxies to attack M23 bases while publicly maintaining a ceasefire signed with rebel groups, including the M23, under a mediation known as the Luanda process.

The revelations mean that the regional force, which has often resisted calls to join the fight against the rebels and insists on being a buffer for civilians, must begin withdrawing by December 8.

But violence has continued.

In eastern DRC, a group known as Wazalendo has sought to replace the M23 in areas from which it has withdrawn under the Luanda process. The M23, in turn, has delayed the cantonment process, slowing down the political process.

In December this year, the UN force known as Monusco, which has been in the DRC for 24 years, will also have to begin its 'gradual withdrawal' from the DRC. In North Kivu, several civil society organisations have planned marches to demand that Monusco and the East African regional force leave the DRC.

Despite the various demonstrations, and despite President Félix Tshisekedi's public disavowal of the effectiveness of the East African regional force, regional leaders have persuaded the DRC to extend the EACRF's stay.

However, the Congolese authorities are satisfied with the Burundian troops deployed in the DRC as part of this regional force. The M23, on the other hand, is critical of the Burundian contingent, accusing it of leaving the field open for self-defence groups to attack rebel positions.

At present, although the Congolese army claims to be respecting the ceasefire signed at the beginning of March 2023, fighting is almost a daily occurrence in certain areas of North Kivu, notably Masisi, Nyiragongo and Rutshuru. The Wazalendo self-defence group is fighting the M23 rebels.