Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta will host talks between the Kinshasa government and armed groups operating in Eastern DR Congo.
This was revealed during the Second Regional Heads of State Conclave on the Democratic Republic of Congo hosted by His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta at State House Nairobi on Thursday.
The conclave was attended by His Excellency Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo; His Excellency Évariste Ndayishimiye, President of the Republic of Burundi; His Excellency Yoweri Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda, and His Excellency Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda represented by the Rwandan Foreign Minister.
The leaders took note of the situation in eastern DRC and of neighbouring countries and observed the need to promote peace, stability and development in the eastern DRC.
The meeting agreed that a political process be commenced under the leadership of President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya to facilitate consultations to be undertaken between the DRC and local armed groups in the DRC.
Further to the outcome of the first Heads of State Conclave, the meeting recalled that a consultative dialogue between the President of the DRC and the representatives of local armed groups in the DRC is to take place at the earliest possible time.
Consequently, the meeting was informed that the President of the DRC will chair such a consultative meeting on Friday, 22nd April, 2022. President Kenyatta graciously agreed to host and provide logistical support for the consultations in Nairobi.
The meeting further agreed that the President of the DRC would subsequently inform his colleagues of the outcome of the consultations at the next sitting.
To facilitate the implementation of the political and military/ security enforcement tracks the leaders also directed that all armed groups in the DRC participate unconditionally in the political process to resolve their grievances.
The meeting ordered that all foreign armed groups in the DRC must disarm and return unconditionally and immediately to their respective countries of origin.
Failure to do so these groups would be considered as negative forces and handled militarily by the region.
The leaders agreed that the establishment of the regional force to fight the negative forces should commence immediately under the leadership of the DRC.