The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
North Kivu, DRC | THE INDEPENDENT | 900 Burundian troops on Sunday withdrew from North Kivu, in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
This is the third contingent to exit after Kenya and South Sudan, which have already withdrawn over 250 and 300 troops respectively. Overall Force Commander of East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) Maj Gen Aphaxard Kiugu witnessed the exit of the troops.
Kiugu commended the troops for their good performance and commitment towards the effort to find lasting peace and stability in Eastern DRC during their deployment period in Kirolirwe, Kitshanga, and Mweso in Masisi Territory, North Kivu. Kiugu added that the regional force’s prayer and hope is to see the people of North Kivu be able to enjoy peace and stability going forward. “Your deployment along with other EAC troops enabled the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and M23 to enter a ceasefire agreement which you were able to sustain until it was breached in October,” Kiugu said.
He emphasized that the remaining EACRF troops, including the Ugandan contingent, have up to January 7, 2024, to complete their redeployment back to their home countries.
The exit of EACRF comes after the DRC government declined to renew their mandate that expired on December 8, 2023, accusing them of failure to launch an assault against the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels. The government will deploy troops from countries under the South African Development Community (SADC).
The mandate of troops from Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, and South Sudan deployed in North Kivu province in late 2022 was to reclaim positions that were previously held by the M23 rebels after they defeated the Armed Forces of Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) soldiers and to establish a buffer zone to prevent further clashes between M23 rebels and FARDC soldiers.
This was by resolutions made and approved by the East African Regional Heads of State Conclave held on April 21 2022 in Nairobi, Extra Ordinary Summit of East African presidents (Bujumbura) on February 4, 2023, and the decisions of the Chief of Defense Forces of February 9, 2023 in Nairobi.
In March 2022, M23 led by Bertrand Bisimwa and General Sultan Makenga launched a war against the government. The DR Congo government accuses Rwanda of backing M23, but Rwanda and M23 strongly deny it. The rebels claim to fight against bad leadership in DR Congo based on corruption, xenophobia, and discrimination.
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