East African countries agree to create regional forces in DR Congo

Deforestation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. File photoMOSCOW, June 20 East African leaders have agreed to create a regional force to end the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Agence France-Presse reports. President Uhuru Kenyatta received colleagues from Rwanda, DR Congo, Burundi, South Sudan and Uganda. attack in DR Congo»The heads of state indicated that regional forces, in cooperation with the army of the DR Congo, should try to stabilize the situation and ensure peace in the DRC,» the joint communiqué says. . Kinshasa accuses Kigali of supporting the rebels, the Rwandan side denies any connection with the group. Both countries accuse each other of shelling border areas. The M23 movement, which is fighting for the interests of the ethnic Tutsi minority, dissolved itself in November 2013 after a heavy military defeat. However, in November 2021, the rebels again took up arms, accusing the authorities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo of non-compliance with agreements that assumed the acceptance of disarmed M23 fighters into the army. >DR Congo warns of Ebola strain