The first Kenyan soldiers arrived in Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Saturday as part of an East African regional force as the Congolese army clashed with M23 north of the city .
In the aftermath of a military counter-offensive against positions of the March 23 Movement (M23), this Tutsi rebellion, which re-armed at the end of 2021, advanced a few kilometers on Saturday towards Goma, the capital of North Kivu province more than a million inhabitants, according to security sources and witnesses on the spot contacted by AFP.
At the end of the day, clashes between the army and the M23 continued about twenty kilometers north of Goma, around Kibumba and Gikeri, a former checkpoint in Virunga Park.
“We no longer know where to go to escape,” testified a resident holed up in his home with his neighbors on the outskirts of Kibumba. “From 15:00 shooting in Gikeri”.
“The M23 attacked our positions but we pushed them back,” a military source said on condition of anonymity. The Army has not officially reported the day’s fighting.
– Peacekeeping force – Two planes carrying about 100 Kenyan soldiers landed in Goma on Saturday, where they were greeted by local dignitaries, AFP reporters noted.
Kenyan Lieutenant Colonel Dennis Obiero told reporters their mission was to “carry out offensive operations” alongside Congolese forces and help disarm militias.
He said the Kenyan contingent would work alongside humanitarian organisations.
The World Food Program (WFP) on Friday deplored the looting of school canteens it supports in schools in Rutshuru-center and Kiwanja, two towns under rebel control north of Goma.
Kenya’s parliament on Wednesday approved the deployment of 900 troops as part of this East African force to stabilize eastern DRC, which has been plagued by attacks by armed groups for nearly three decades.
More than 120 of these are active in the region, many a legacy of regional wars that erupted around the turn of the millennium.
The East African Community (EAC) military force, announced in June by the leaders of the seven EAC member states (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, South Sudan, Uganda and the DRC), will be placed under Kenyan command. Its size and goals remain unclear at this time.
– Renewed tensions – The new violence of the M23 has provoked new tensions between the DRC and Rwanda, accused by Kinshasa since the beginning of the year of actively supporting this rebellion.
A classified United Nations report, consulted by AFP in August, points to Rwanda’s involvement with M23. American leaders also mentioned the Rwandan military’s aid to the M23.
Kigali denies and in turn accuses the DRC – which it also denies – of collusion with the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda), a movement of Rwandan Hutu rebels, some of whom were involved in the 1994 Tutsi genocide in Rwanda.
Exactly 10 years ago, in November-December 2012, the M23 rebels occupied Goma for ten days, before being defeated the following year by the Congolese army and peace forces.
After years of inactivity, they re-armed in late 2021, claiming that the DRC had not kept its promise to integrate them into the army.
Over the past few weeks, the M23 has been on a string of victories and greatly increased the territory it controls.
According to the United Nations, recent fighting has displaced 188,000 people.
Several diplomatic initiatives are underway.
One of these is led by Angolan leader João Lourenço, who chairs the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR).
He met with his counterpart Paul Kagame in Rwanda on Friday and President Félix Tshisekedi on Saturday in the DRC.
“We are all concerned about the situation prevailing today in eastern DRC,” Angolan foreign minister Tete António said on Saturday after the two presidents met.
For his part, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by telephone with Kenyan President William Ruto, welcoming the deployment of troops from Nairobi and reiterating his support “for the efforts undertaken by the countries of the region to obtain a de-escalation”, according to reported in a press release. French press release.
Former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta, facilitator appointed by the EAC, is expected in Kinshasa on Sunday for “a 48-hour working visit”.
AFP with ACTUALITE.CD
