Kenya’s President William Ruto has reiterated his country’s commitment to the peace process in eastern DR Congo. Ruto met his Congolese counterpart Felix Tshisekedi on Monday in Kinshasa where he arrived on Sunday for an official visit. The two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation between Kenya and DR Congo. Also on the agenda was the insecurity in eastern DR Congo, where over 120 armed groups roam. “Kenya reaffirms its support to restoring peace and sustainable stability in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and the region at large,” Ruto wrote on Twitter. “Without peace, no country or individual can have the space to prosper.” EAC force tasked to “enforce peace” Kenya has deployed some 900 troops in eastern DR Congo, under an East African regional force tasked with restoring peace in the restive eastern provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri. A UN peacekeeping mission has been in the country for more than two decades, but with little success. Currently, the Congolese armed forces are fighting the M23 rebels, who have captured key positions near Goma, the capital of North Kivu province. Peace talks had been scheduled to take place on Monday in Nairobi but were cancelled without communication. At a press conference held after Ruto and Tshisekedi’s meeting, the Kenyan leader was asked about the regional force’s mandate, following comments last week by the commander of the Kenyan troops that peace talks were top priority. “We are acutely aware that we have many peacekeeping troops in DRC but from where we sit as a region we do not think there is no much peace to keep,” Ruto said. “That is why it is necessary for a peace enforcement contingent under the East Africa regional mandate. That is the mandate upon which the Kenyan troops in the context of the EAC regional force are operating.” He added that the rules of engagement and deployment had been agreed upon by the EAC leaders. Ruto said the mandate had been communicated to the African Union Peace and Security Council and the United Nations Security Council. Apart from Kenyan troops, Uganda has also announced it will deploy a contingent in eastern DR Congo under the EAC force.
