East African Community leaders on Tuesday, September 5, agreed to extend the mandate of the EAC Regional Force deployed to eastern DR Congo for three months.
The duration of the mandate of the EAC Regional Force and the status of forces agreement was extended from September 9 to December 8 “pending and evaluation report from the Council of Ministers,” reads a communique of the EAC Heads of State Summit held in Nairobi, Kenya.
The Regional Force’s current mandate expires on September 8.
The communique indicates that the leaders “took note of the operational milestones achieved by the EAC Regional Force towards restoration of security” in the eastern DR Congo, pursuant to previous directives of the Summit on the implementation of the EAC-led Nairobi peace process.
President Paul Kagame attended the extraordinary EAC Summit hosted by President William Ruto of Kenya and chaired by President Évariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi to discuss the security situation in eastern DR Congo. The meeting was held on the sidelines of Africa Climate Summit. It was also attended by Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan and President Salva Kiir of South Sudan.
Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi was represented by Prime Minister Jean Michel Sama Lukonde while Uganda’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of EAC Affairs, Rebecca Kadaga, represented President Yoweri Museveni.
