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Africa Subsaharan |
DRC: Burundian soldiers leave East African force |
2023-12-12 |
[AFRICANEWS] The withdrawal of the East African force deployed in the east of the DRC, after its mission was not renewed by Kinshasa because it was deemed ineffective, continued on Sunday with the departure of nearly a thousand Burundian soldiers, the Burundian army announced on Monday. Nearly 250 South Sudanese soldiers and 300 Kenyan soldiers from this Community of East African States (EAC) force, whose mandate ended on 8 December, have already left Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu. "All the soldiers in this battalion arrived in Burundi" on Sunday, Burundi army spokesman Colonel Floribert Biyereke told AFP. According to a senior Burundian army officer, who requested anonymity, the withdrawal, which began on Friday, was carried out by military lorries that passed through Rwanda before arriving in Burundi. In addition to Kenyan, South Sudanese and Burundian soldiers, the East African force includes Ugandan troops, who are also due to leave in the coming weeks. However, the Burundian army spokesman declined to comment on Burundian army battalions present - like Ugandan troops - in the east of the DRC under bilateral agreements with Kinshasa. The soldiers of the East African force began arriving in Goma in November 2022, around a year after the resurgence in North Kivu of the M23 ("March 23 Movement") rebellion, which, with the support of Rwanda according to many sources, had seized vast swathes of the province. At the time, the Congolese authorities invited the EAC to deploy its forces to free the areas conquered by the rebels. However, the Congolese quickly became highly critical of the EAC troops, criticising them for cohabiting with the rebels rather than forcing them to lay down their arms. At the end of an EAC summit on 25 November, the regional organisation announced that the DRC "would not renew the mandate of the regional force beyond 8 December 2023".To replace it, Kinshasa is counting on troops from the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The departure of the regional force comes as fighting continues between the M23 and the Congolese army, supported by so-called "patriot" militiamen. Numerous armed groups and other militias have been active for three decades in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, a legacy of the regional wars that broke out in the 1990s and 2000s. General elections, in which incumbent President Félix Tshisekedi is standing for re-election, are scheduled for 20 December. Because of the M23 rebellion, they cannot be held in two territories in North Kivu. Related: DRC: 2023-12-10 DR Congo president compares Rwanda's Paul Kagame to Hitler DRC: 2023-12-09 East African force begins withdrawal from DRC DRC: 2023-12-09 Burundi: Former Prime Minister sentenced to life in prison Related: Kinshasa: 2023-12-09 East African force begins withdrawal from DRC Kinshasa: 2023-12-04 East DRC: Commencement of East African Regional Force Withdrawal Amidst Criticisms Kinshasa: 2023-11-18 DRC's deputy prosecutor breaks down the ICC's sluggish pace with precision Related: Goma: 2023-12-09 East African force begins withdrawal from DRC Goma: 2023-12-04 East DRC: Commencement of East African Regional Force Withdrawal Amidst Criticisms Goma: 2023-11-24 DRC: Fear mounts among residents as M23 rebels claim to capture new town in the east Related: North Kivu: 2023-12-10 DR Congo president compares Rwanda's Paul Kagame to Hitler North Kivu: 2023-12-09 East African force begins withdrawal from DRC North Kivu: 2023-12-04 East DRC: Commencement of East African Regional Force Withdrawal Amidst Criticisms Related: Rwanda: 2023-12-10 DR Congo president compares Rwanda's Paul Kagame to Hitler Rwanda: 2023-12-09 East African force begins withdrawal from DRC Rwanda: 2023-12-04 East DRC: Commencement of East African Regional Force Withdrawal Amidst Criticisms Related: M23: 2023-12-10 DR Congo president compares Rwanda's Paul Kagame to Hitler M23: 2023-12-09 East African force begins withdrawal from DRC M23: 2023-12-09 Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley sentenced to life in prison without parole Related: Southern African Development Community: 2023-08-26 Observers question credibility of Zimbabwe vote. Really, Southern African Development Community: 2023-08-25 Mozambique: Army kills two senior rebel leaders in Cabo Delgado Southern African Development Community: 2023-05-11 SADC to send troops to restore peace in Eastern DRC Related: Democratic Republic of Congo: 2023-12-10 DR Congo president compares Rwanda's Paul Kagame to Hitler Democratic Republic of Congo: 2023-10-25 W.H.O. Struggles to Keep Up with Mounting Sexual Misconduct Cases Against Its Staffers Democratic Republic of Congo: 2023-10-17 Opposition leader in Chad delays return from exile |
Posted by:Fred |