Former Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta arrived in Bujumbura on Friday to meet Chairperson of the Summit of EAC Heads of State and President of Burundi, Gen. Évariste Ndayishimiye, to hold consultations on the Peace Process in the Eastern DRC.
They reviewed the progress in the implementation of the political and military
tracks, set out to stabilize Eastern DRC.
They noted that while the force generation and deployment are in progress, the political track is being re-energized towards a comprehensive solution to the protracted security situation.
They reviewed the recent developments in North Kivu, particularly the resurgence of violence, which has undermined the gains that had been made; as local armed groups had offered to lay down arms in return for peace and urged all parties, to join in the quest for lasting peace in Eastern DRC through the inter-Congolese dialogue.
The meeting further called on all foreign armed groups to return to their respective countries of origin unconditionally.
The next session of the peace dialogue will commence on November 16, 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya.
The meeting underscored the need to uphold inclusivity by ensuring the participation of all stakeholders and noted that all sessions, henceforth, will accommodate various community leaders.
The consultative meeting agreed on a roadmap for the implementation of the political track, towards a sustainable solution to peace and security in Eastern DRC and encouraged continued complimentary engagement between the EAC-Led process and the Luanda Process to ease tension between the brotherly states of DRC and Rwanda.
Further, the consultative meeting appreciated Burundi, Kenya and Uganda for timely deployment of troops and urged other troop-contributing countries to expedite their deployment within the agreed structure and framework.
The meeting appreciated the commitment of all EAC Heads of State to a sustainable, peaceful, inclusive solution to the DRC crisis, in line with the regional aspirations, set out in the Treaty for the Establishment of the EAC, within the context of the EAC- Led Nairobi Peace Process and with the goodwill from the African Union (AU), International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and the United Nations (UN).
The Chairperson reiterated that he is engaged in dialogue with all EAC Heads of State on embracing a regional approach, within the agreed framework, in handling the situation and building trust among EAC Partner States.
