Former president Uhuru Kenyatta is set to chair the East Africa Community (EAC)-led Nairobi Process on the restoration of peace and security in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Christened the Third Inter-Congolese dialogue, the high-level meeting involving both sides in the DRC conflict is scheduled to commence on Monday, November 28, in Nairobi.
A press statement by the EAC confirmed the meeting highlighting its aim in accelerating the ongoing regional efforts to achieve sustainable peace and security in Eastern DRC.
“The peace talks reaffirm the commitment of the Heads of State of the EAC; Great Lakes region and Africa at large, to finding lasting solutions to the security challenges in the Eastern DRC," the EAC statement read in part.
This is part of a two-fold effort by regional and continental leaders to restore peace in the DRC with the other process being referred to as the Luanda process.
The Nairobi process focuses on talks between DRC rebels, the local population, and the government to stop internal hostilities, while the Luanda process aims to repair the diplomatic rift between Rwanda and the DRC.
The Nairobi process is led by Kenyatta while the Luanda process is led by the Angolan president João Lourenço.
The Nairobi process faced a hitch earlier last week after a meeting between the warring sides in the DRC conflict scheduled for Monday, November 21 was called off under unclear circumstances.
However, the Luanda process went ahead as planned on Wednesday, November 23 with a communique that was issued after the meeting giving the M23 rebels a 48-hour ultimatum to exit the three areas they currently occupy in Eastern DRC or risk being forcefully removed.
Burundian president Evariste Ndayishimiye jetted into the country on Sunday, November 27 evening for the talks.
However, on Friday, November 25, the armed group said a ceasefire deal “doesn’t really concern” them and indicated that they were ready to come to the negotiating table facilitated by former President Uhuru.
"We are always ready for a direct dialogue with the Congolese government to resolve the root cause of the conflict," read the statement by M23 in part.
These new developments come just hours after the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) deployed the remaining troops and equipment set for the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF)’s peace enforcement mission in eastern Congo on Saturday, November 2.
