November 13, 2022, Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania: The quest for peace in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues to gain momentum as a top priority for the region, with the East African Community (EAC) Facilitator on the Peace Process in the Eastern region of the DRC, H.E President Uhuru Kenyatta, set out for Kinshasa for high-level consultations with DRC’s President, H.E Félix Tshisekedi, today, November 13th and 14th 2022.
The Chairperson of the Summit of EAC Heads of State and President of the Republic of Burundi, H.E Évariste Ndayishimiye, will also partake in the talks. The EAC Secretary General, Dr Peter Mathuki, is also set to join the facilitator for the two-day mission in DRC.
The inter-Congolese dialogue under the EAC-led peace process has been reenergized to incorporate local DRC community leaders and stakeholders to bring a comprehensive solution to the protracted security situation.
The meeting happens a week after the Summit of EAC Heads of State held a High-Level Consultative Meeting on the peace process in Eastern DRC, in Shamar El Sheikh, Egypt, on the sidelines of the meeting of the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (COP-27) with a view to strengthening the political track.
H.E Kenyatta also engaged with President Ndayishimiye in Burundi on the peace process in Eastern DRC on 4th November 2022.
The meeting chaired by H.E Évariste Ndayishimiye, the Chairperson of the Summit of EAC Heads of State and President of the Republic of Burundi committed that all 7 EAC Partner States will now be fully involved with the process, with each Head of State forwarding a technical advisor to support the Facilitator of the EAC Peace Process.
The Heads of State from the Republics of Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, and the United Republic of Tanzania reiterated their commitment to contribute to the EAC Special Fund for the implementation of the peace process and urged all Partner States to sustainably support the facility.
Currently, the African Union and the International Conference On The Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) have contributed to the EAC special fund for the implementation of the peace process.
The EAC is set to hold a Peace Summit at the end of the year with a view to strengthening the complementarity roles of the EAC-led peace process and the Luanda Process among other issues.
The next session of the peace dialogue on the security situation in Eastern DRC is scheduled to commence on 21st November 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya.