Goma (DR Congo) (AFP) – The East African Community regional force began its withdrawal from the strife-torn east of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday after Kinshasa deemed it ineffective and refused to renew its mandate.
The seven-nation EAC first deployed troops in the violence-plagued region in November 2022, at the invitation of the DRC authorities, to free areas taken by the resurgent M23 rebel group.
But the future of the deployment was thrown into doubt after President Felix Tshisekedi and local residents accused the force of cohabiting with the rebels rather than forcing them to lay down arms.
On Sunday morning, two contingents of around 100 Kenyan soldiers flew out of the airport in Goma, capital of the eastern region of North Kivu.
Late last month, the EAC said the DRC, which is a member of the bloc, had decided not to renew the force’s mandate beyond December 8.
A spokesman for the EAC force present on Sunday said the two military contingents were flying to the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, but gave no details as to the next stages in the withdrawal of the force, which also comprises soldiers from Burundi, South Sudan and Uganda.
December elections.
The DRC, a vast country of around 100 million inhabitants, is scheduled to hold a general election on December 20. President Tshisekedi, in power since 2019, is standing for a second five-year term.
DR Congo has accused the EAC contingents of not forcing M23 rebels to lay down their arms.
Tshisekedi is hoping to replace the EAC soldiers with security forces from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), of which the DRC is also a member.
