Congo May Ask East African Community Force to Leave Country

Michael J. Kavanagh
·1 min read
2

(Bloomberg) -- Democratic Republic of Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi says soldiers from the East African Community aren’t fulfilling their mandate to fight rebels in the country’s east and he may ask them to leave.

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Troops from the regional bloc, which includes Kenya and Uganda, deployed last year to help counter a rebel group known as the M23 that Congo alleges is backed by neighboring Rwanda. The force’s mandate is up for renewal next month.

“If by that date we see that the mandate is not being fulfilled, we will decide to see off this contingent,” Tshisekedi said, according to an emailed press release shared by the president’s external communications agency on Wednesday.

More than 100 armed groups are active in eastern Congo, fighting over a variety of grievances including land and economic access. About 7.5 million people have fled their homes, mostly due to violence, according to the United Nations. It estimates that more than 1.2 million have been displaced since March last year due to fighting in the North Kivu province alone.

M23, which is based in North Kivu, claims it’s protecting the rights of Congolese of Rwandan descent. Rwanda, which along with Congo is also an EAC member, denies backing the rebels.

Tshisekedi’s statement came two days after the Southern African Development Community agreed to deploy troops to the area.

The president “welcomed the solidarity” from the 16-nation bloc, whose members include South Africa, Zimbabwe and Angola, according to the statement.

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