NAIROBI: East African leaders have agreed to extend the mandate of a regional army deployed to suppress violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Western media reported on Tuesday.
The East African Community (EAC) first sent forces into the volatile region in November 2022 following the resurgence of the M23 militant group.
East Africa Leaders Extend DR Congo Troop Mandate
In a statement, EAC said after a summit in Nairobi that the heads of state had made an agreement to “extend the duration of the mandate” of the regional force EACRF to December 8, pending an assessment report.
The future of the troops’ deployment had been in doubt following President of DR Congo Felix Tshisekedi denounced the force, but the EAC took the decision in June to keep the force on the ground for another 90 days.
The Tutsi-led local group has taken swathes of territory in North Kivu since took arms again in late 2021 after years of inactivity. The EAC personnel have taken over some region previously occupied by the M23 group but has so far failed to prevent the insurgency.
Democratic Republic of Congo has repeatedly blamed its much smaller neighbour country Rwanda, an EAC member, of supporting the rebels, an allegation Kigali rejects.
The US and several other Western nations, as well as UN experts, have also concluded that Rwanda is supporting the rebels in the region.
