Uhuru Kenyatta concerned by deteriorating situation in DRC
Former Head of State Uhuru Kenyatta has expressed concerns following the ongoing exchange of fire between M23 rebel groups and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC).
Mr Kenyatta, the facilitator of the East Africa Community (EAC) led DRC peace process said on Wednesday that the sharply deteriorating situation in North Kivu is posing another challenge to refugees who have already left their homes.
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He has called for the cessation of all hostilities, adherence to the Luanda Agreements, and a return to the Nairobi Peace Process on consultations to build peace in DRC.
“Following break out of serious fighting in DRC North Kivu region, the Facilitator of the EAC peace process in Eastern DRC has expressed serious concern for the targeted killings of civilians by armed groups,” Mr Kenyatta said in a statement posted by his office on social media.
In December, members of the rebel group who attended the peace talk in Nairobi agreed to lay down their arms to allow the DRC government to find ways of addressing their grievances.
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Among the demands that the rebel group wants is the removal of foreign armed groups from the country.
“We are happy with the progress; we are not saying we have completed everything but we have managed to achieve some milestones in terms of specific issues that will be undertaken by DRC and others that will be done by the delegates who are here,” Mr Kenyatta said during the closure of the agreement.
The 2022 Luanda Agreement was a ceasefire and normalization of relations between the government of Uganda and DRC that was signed in Luanda, Angola.
It sought to end the ongoing Second Congo War and had far-reaching implications for regional peace.
The Luanda Agreement became a baseline for peace accords in Africa and is viewed favorably by outside entities, such as the United Nations and the European Union (EU).
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