EAC celebrates the new commander of its military force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Kinshasa, 1 May The East African Community (EAC) today celebrated the appointment of Kenyan Major General Alphaxard Kiugu as the new commander of the regional force deployed by this bloc of seven countries in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to pacify the country.

This bloc of countries said on its Twitter account: “The East African Group welcomes Major General Alfaxard Kyugu, the new commander of the force.”

Likewise, the EAC “congratulated” the former commander of its regional force, fellow Kenyan Major General Jeff Nyage, for “diligently serving the region”.

According to a letter from Nyagah addressed to the Secretary-General of the East African Community and widely reported by both local and international media, the former leader resigned after alleging threats to his security and obstacles from the Congolese government.

The East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) consists of troops from Kenya, Burundi, Uganda and South Sudan, and its arrival on Congolese territory has aroused the mistrust of part of the local population.

It began spreading with the aim of pacifying eastern DRC at the end of last year, after the March 23 Movement was reactivated in March 2022 after several years of calm.

Not only has the fighting waged by this rebel group displaced more than 1.1 million people, according to the United Nations, but it has also led to a diplomatic crisis because the DRC accuses neighboring Rwanda of supporting the rebels, something Kigali flatly denied despite the fact. At least two UN reports confirmed the cooperation.

Meanwhile, Rwanda and the M23 accuse the Congolese army of collaborating with the rebel Forces Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which was founded in 2000 by leaders of the 1994 genocide and other Rwandan exiles in the DRC to restore political power in the DRC. their country of origin.

The United Nations has also confirmed this cooperation.

Since 1998, eastern DRC has been mired in conflict fueled by rebel militias and the army, despite the presence of the United Nations peacekeeping mission (MONUSCO) in the country.

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