President Uhuru Kenyatta has called for urgent activation of an East African standby force, to help quell the violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
A statement issued by State House, Nairobi said, President Kenyatta was concerned with renewed violence in North Kivu and wants the area declared a weapons free zone.
“In doing so, I call for the activation of the East African Regional Force under the auspices of the East African Community (EAC).
“The regional force is a component of the military/security enforcement track also provided for in the communiqué adopted on 21st April 2022.
“In this regard, the meeting of the regional commanders of the respective defence forces, cooperating in the Nairobi Process, scheduled for Sunday 19th June 2022, in Nairobi, should finalise preparations to undertake the deployment of the regional force.”
He added that the East African Regional Force shall be deployed to the Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces to stabilize the zone and enforce peace in support of the DRC security forces.
“The regional force will work with local provincial authorities to support an orderly and permanent disarmament process under the Programme de Desarmement, Demobilisation, Relevement Communautaire et Stabilisation (P-DDRCS) in order to create enabling conditions towards stability and peace in the eastern DRC.”