The mandate of the East African Community Regional Force in the Democratic Republic of Congo (EACRF) is expected to end on September 8, at the end of a six-month extension granted in March.

 

The decision to prolong its mandate emerged from the 21st Extraordinary Summit of EAC Heads of State held in May. It aimed to consolidate the gains made by the force that has helped achieve a relative return to normalcy in the region following one year of intense skirmishes between M23 rebels and the Congolese army since 2021. 

 

During his working visit to DRC, on August 4, Kenya’s defense cabinet secretary Aden Duale requested his Congolese counterpart Jean Pierre Bemba for another extension of the EACRF mandate given that the expected security situation has not yet been achieved.

 

“From a broader outlook, it appears to us that EACRF, working alongside other partners of the DRC has made some progress,” Duale said.

 

“In this context, it is our humble appeal and we believe that of other member states of the East African Community, that DRC considers extending EACRF’s mandate beyond September 7, 2023. This, from our perspective, will be a positive step in the collective resolve to consolidate the current gains following immense sacrifice by all, under the umbrella of the Luanda and Nairobi processes.”

 

Bemba did not comment on Duale’s request.

 

Three months from the end of his term of office, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and his government are silent on what next regarding the insecurity in the eastern part of the country.

 

But their actions speak loud.

 

Tshisekedi refused to dialogue and negotiate with the M23, despite the regional effort in supporting the political track on dialogue. His government’s army and allies are plotting to force the M23 into cantonment and he does not acknowledge the work done by the EACRF.

 

In May, the DRC hesitantly agreed to extend the regional force’s mandate accusing it of collaborating with rebels after the regional troops declined to combat the rebels, something that was against their mandate.

 

Tshisekedi announced that a second extension will be based on his assessment of the force’s performance.

 

However, clearly, there is little or no chance that he will commend their performance. He has repeatedly said that EACRF is not effective and should be withdrawn from eastern DRC. Yet the force played a great role in reducing hostilities between M23 and FARDC.

 

Since the approval of EACRF’s mandate extension, the contingent reported a significant return of citizens from IDPs, and the opening up of routes that were inaccessible due to the threats posed by the rebels. The important supply routes opened up by the regional force include the Sake-Kitachanga- Mweso and Bunagana-Rutshuru-Goma main supply routes. This enhanced the free movement of people and goods.

 

The EAC regional forces' efforts in the protection of civilians allowed the re-opening of learning institutions within their area of operations. Seven primary schools, five secondary schools, and three higher learning institutions became operational.

 

Despite the fact that the security situation remained complex, with a number of issues that need to be handled at different levels, EACRF remained committed to ensuring the protection of civilians and prioritizing the overall objective of restoring peace and stability in eastern DRC.

 

But Tshisekedi is likely to reject the extension of their mandate regardless of the progress registered by the regional force. Their goal is restoring peace while his is to prolong the war so he can postpone the December presidential elections.

 

It is imperative that EAC leaders consider the security situation in eastern DRC and extend the EACRF’s mandate otherwise, their efforts would be fruitless, and the region’s security would be guaranteed.

 

Extraordinary EAC summit likely to decide

 

On August 23, an extraordinary meeting of EAC Chiefs of Defence Forces was held in Kenya’s capital Nairobi to discuss the security situation in eastern DRC. Regional ministers of Defence were also scheduled to meet in Nairobi, the next day, to review EACRF’s operations and the possibility of an extension of its mandate.

 

“The EACRF continues to operate in eastern DRC to support restoration of peace and security in eastern DRC after the mandate was renewed for six Months from 8th March to 8th September 2023,” Dr Peter Mathuki, the EAC Secretary-General, told The EastAfrican on August 16.

 

Kenya’s EAC Minister Rebecca Miano later told The EastAfrican that there was likely to be an extraordinary EAC summit to discuss the status of the force in eastern DRC.

 

“On the other matters of (EACRF mandate) renewal, we are within the timelines… We anticipate before the expiry of the time we may have an extraordinary summit to give a way forward, even though it is premature to speculate what will happen until the relevant meetings take place.”

 

According to reports, UN Security Council Secretary-General Antonio Guterres already informed the Security Council that the UN peacekeeping mission in DRC, MONUSCO, will leave the country by December, the time when the country is expected to hold a general election.

 

According to reports, experts warn that the exit of MONUSCO – and EACRF – would worsen the security situation in the volatile eastern DRC.

 

In May, Tshisekedi had warned that EACRF would have to leave the country by June if they were not effective on the ground.

 

On a visit to Gaborone, Botswana, where he pushed for a plan B from the Southern African Development Cooperation (SADC) to send troops, Tshisekedi accused EACRF of ‘cohabiting’ with the M23 rebels after the regional troops declined to enter combat.

 

But his EAC counterparts have insisted that EACRF’s mandate is peacekeeping and protection of civilians while also supporting the political track on dialogue.

 

The question now is: will Tshisekedi toe the EAC line? Only time will tell.