Former President Uhuru Kenyatta and the leadership of the East African Community (EAC) appreciated President William Ruto’s move to deploy the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Uhuru spoke at a meeting with various stakeholders in the DRC Peace talks held on Friday, November 4, in Bujumbura, Burundi.
The former head of state attended the talks in his capacity as the EAC Facilitator on the Peace Process in the Eastern region of the DRC.
EAC Chairperson President Evariste Ndayishime also urged other EAC countries to emulate Kenya's dedication towards resolving the conflict in Eastern DRC.
“Further, the consultative meeting appreciated the Republics of Burundi, Kenya and Uganda for the timely deployment of troops and urged other troop-contributing countries to expedite their deployment,” read a statement from the meeting.
As of Friday, November 4, only Kenya, Uganda and Burundi had honoured the agreement between EAC Heads of State to contribute forces for deployment in DRC.
Kenya deployed soldiers to the DRC, with Ruto reiterating Kenya's commitment to working towards a peaceful neighbourhood.
According to the chairperson, the next dialogue session will commence on November 16, 2022, in Nairobi, Kenya.
The convention will bring together stakeholders from the DRC, including traditional leaders. Chiefs of defence forces from the respective EAC countries were also expected to meet as the community strives to resolve the conflict in Eastern DRC.
Upon his retirement, Uhuru assumed the peace envoy role and was tasked with resolving the war between Ethiopia and Tigray rebels.
The former head of state successfully convinced the two parties to end the war.
