DRC War: EAC and ICGLR commit to strengthening collaboration in quest for restoration of peace and stability

 Following the Mini- Summit of Heads of States and Governments on Peace and Security in Eastern DRC recently held in Addis Ababa, the EAC Secretary General, Hon (Dr.) Peter Mutuku Mathuki, held a meeting with the Executive Secretary of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), Amb. João Caholo, deliberating on areas of cooperation between the two institutions in supporting the restoration of peace and stability in Eastern DRC.  

The two leaders committed to enhancing collaboration between the two institutions by partnering and availing necessary support to each other, in the quest for restoring peace and security in Eastern DRC. 

They noted that their respective institutions have complimentary roles to play, in ensuring a sustainable solution to the peace and security situation in Eastern DRC is realized. 

“The gains of regional integration such as economic development can only be realized when the region is peaceful and we thus have to play our rightful roles in contributing to this,” Dr. Mathuki said.

On his part, Amb. João Caholo noted that a win in ensuring peace is realized in Eastern DRC, is a win for the continent and globe at large and reiterated his commitment to supporting the quest for peace in Eastern DRC.  

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the ongoing 43rd Ordinary Meeting of EAC Council of Ministers in Bujumbura, Burundi. Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for the East African Community, Arid and Semi Arid Lands and Regional Development, Hon. Rebecca Miano  contributed to the meeting commending the collaboration.

The ongoing conflict in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has cost approximately six million lives since 1996, making it one of the deadliest conflicts in world history. Ethnic and geopolitical competition among DRC, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, and various non-state armed groups fuel the fighting. This conflict has displaced over five million Congolese, fueling a cycle of poverty and militarization.

Since the Rwandan Genocide of 1993–1994, eastern DRC has been plagued by conflict amongst a variety of armed factions. The factions represent different ethnic and religious groups. The genocide has fueled much of this conflict, as genocidaires and victims have both fled Rwanda at different times, leading to large refugee populations inhabiting eastern DRC to this day. These refugee populations reacted to a lack of strong governance in this remote section of DRC by building militias. DRC’s government has neither been able to solve the governance issue of administering a subcontinent, nor the numerous ethnic and tribal tensions that have resulted from this large refugee movement.

Eastern DRC is home to several displaced populations, who are themselves related to several of the key non-state actors involved in conflict today. Such non-state armed groups include M23, the Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda, and the Allied Democratic Forces, as refugees have joined these groups in hopes of economic gain or due to ideological fervor.