2023-05-15 10:02:56
“Obviously there are problems with this regional force. There is, in certain regions, a cohabitation observed between the contingents of the regional force and the terrorists of the M23. This was not in the program. It was a question of forcing these M23 forces into a ceasefire, withdrawal and cantonment,” said Félix Tsisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, in a press conference this Tuesday, May 9, 2023 during his visit to Botswana.
However, he appreciates the work of the Burundian troops deployed in eastern DRC as part of the regional force: “With the exception of the Burundian contingent which puts all its effort into the mission as it has been defined, other contingents now live with the M23, collecting taxes in the area they occupy illegally. This forces us to question the purpose of the EAC mission”.
According to him, the secretary general of the EAC had requested a six-month extension of this regional force, but the DRC only granted a duration of three months until June: “This new deadline will be accompanied by an assessment of the situation. If the mandate is not fulfilled, we are going to decide to accompany these contingents who have come to the rescue of the DRC with honor, to thank them for having tried to bring their share of contribution to peace in the DRC and to see how we can continue ourselves to pacify our country”.
According to Actualité.CD, Félix Tshisekedi also criticized the appointment of the new commander of the EAC regional force by Kenya, which did not take into account the opinion of the DRC government. For him, the resignation of General Jeff Nyagah was done in a spectacular way without informing the government of the various threats mentioned in his letter of resignation.
“Why didn’t he tell us about these threats?” When it decides to leave the DRC, Kenya directly designates another force commander without consultation as if this force belonged only to Kenya. There is a problem. We have to clarify the situation”.
The DRC government has always complained about the complacency on the ground of the operations of the troops of the East African force deployed in North Kivu. Denunciations and demonstrations by the population of Goma and its surroundings demanding the departure of this force have multiplied in recent months, writes Actualité.CD.
Towards the deployment of SADC forces
The SADC (Southern African Development Community) summit in Windhoek, Namibia, on May 8 approved the deployment of its troops to the DRC, although there was no immediate clarification on which countries would send forces. Kinshasa has already announced that SADC troops will have “an offensive mandate”.
According to The East African, several Congolese are calling on President Tshisekedi to rely on SADC’s “natural allies”. In 1998, Zimbabwean, Namibian and Angolan troops intervened to halt the advance of RCD rebels in Kivu and Kinshasa. However, they failed to end the threat from armed groups. A group of UN experts accused this southern African mission at the time of looting.
EAC/Kenya: Resumption of consultations for the drafting of the Constitution of the Political Confederation
National consultations for the drafting of the Constitution of the East African Community (EAC) Political Confederation resumed in Mombasa, Kenya on 9 May.
According to the press release of the EAC General Secretariat, the team of constitutional experts for the drafting of the Constitution of the political federation of the EAC will hold, for 20 days, consultations with civil society, local leaders , opinion leaders and the business community, among other stakeholders, to gather their opinion on the type of political confederation they would like for the EAC.
This team of experts will also hold consultations in the districts of Kisumu, Kakamega, Eldoret, Nakuru, Nyeri, Embu, Garissa and Nairobi.
The main areas of interest subject to consultation are cooperation within the framework of the political confederation; the governing structure of the political confederation; the decision-making methods of the confederal authority; the principles of governance of the confederation, the relationship between the partner States and the confederal authority as well as the financing of the operation of the confederal authority.
EAC Secretary General Peter Mathuki said that the process of drafting the Constitution of the EAC Political Confederation is drawn from Article 123 of the EAC Establishment Treaty which calls for the summit of Heads of State to initiate the process towards the creation of a political federation: “The 2017 Summit adopted the Political Confederation as the transitional model of the East African Political Federation.”
According to him, Kenya is the third EAC member country where national consultations are conducted, after Burundi in January 2020 and Uganda in April 2021.
South Sudan: Abolition of visa fees for foreigners fleeing the war in Sudan
South Sudan said on May 8 that it would waive visa fees for foreign nationals fleeing the conflict in neighboring Sudan across its borders, writes The East African.
The director general of immigration, Atem Marol Biar, has ordered immigration officers at all border crossings with Sudan not to demand payment of visa fees from foreigners: “We have given clear guidelines in accordance with international law. People fleeing conflict must be welcomed”.
According to him, foreigners who choose to stay in the country as refugees will be registered by the authorities with the support of humanitarian agencies: “We have to be very careful. Juba is not a refugee camp. But, when someone remains in transit, there is no problem”.
According to The East African, the South Sudanese Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Albino Akol Atak, confides that the country has already welcomed more than 50,000 people since the Sudanese conflict broke out on April 15. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warns of a worsening humanitarian crisis in South Sudan, which already registers 2.2 million internally displaced people.
Rwanda/Kigali: Towards the relocation of more than 5,000 families
The city of Kigali announced that 5,812 households had to urgently leave high-risk areas. The decision was taken in response to deadly floods and landslides that claimed 131 lives in parts of Western, Northern and Southern provinces early last week, reports The New Times.
The city of Kigali said that those who rented houses in these areas receive a one month rent fee while the owners of the residential houses receive a three month rent fee.
According to the mayor of the city of Kigali, Pudence Rubingisa, 361 households have already been relocated. He said that the evacuation exercise for residents of high-risk areas is continuing.
“People and local leaders should provide information about homes and infrastructure in high-risk and disaster-affected areas.
City inspection is underway to identify those in need of urgent relocation.”
According to him, the municipal inspection is also underway to identify people living near wetlands at high risk of flooding or collapse. And to urge the inhabitants to avoid dumping waste in the water channels: “This prevents water from penetrating into the ground. As waste blocks waterways, flooding can damage infrastructure and crops.”
The recent Kigali city assessment revealed that more than 24 thousand plots with around 27 thousand houses are in high risk areas.
According to The New Times, some areas of Kigali City will soon be upgraded at a cost of around $70 million to reduce vulnerability in high-risk areas. The districts concerned are Nyarugenge, Kicukiro and Gasabo. The latter will receive basic infrastructure such as roads, streetlights, electricity and drinking water, health centers, markets, schools to facilitate the daily activities of the population.
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