A Kenya Army soldier deployed in Eastern DR-Congo was among those killed during clashes between the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) and M23 Rebels.
In a statement, FARDC confirmed the killing of a Kenyan soldier. Kenya is part of the regional forces deployed to the troubled Eastern DRC to restore peace.
“The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo denounce the shooting mortars perpetrated by the M23/RDF, leading this Tuesday, October 24, 2023, to KIBUMBA on the death of a peacekeeper from the Regional Force of the States of East Africa,” the statement read in part.
The FARDC stated that a mortar fire from M23 hit the military camp in Kibumba area, killing the Kenyan soldier. The statement did not mention whether other people were injured during the attack.
“Indeed, after having faced the determination of the FARDC in the morning of this Tuesday, where they attacked one of our positions, the M23/RDF directed their mortar fire into forward EACRF positions,” the statement further read.
In 2022, the East African Community (EAC) member countries established a regional force to put an end to the anarchy caused by armed groups in DRC, including the M23 rebels.
The agreement saw Former President Uhuru Kenyatta deploy Kenyan troops to Eastern DRC, to stop the rebels' advance to Goma.
There has been a push to end the mission and pull out Kenyan forces with some military observers claiming that the Kenyan deployment has not found a lasting solution to the war in Eastern DRC.
The United Nations estimates that there are over 100 rebel groups in the resource-rich Eastern DRC, making it one of the riskiest places on the planet.
DRC was plunged into a civil war after the fall of former dictator Mobutu Sseseko. The country has not known peace for decades, with elections often contested.
The inability of its national army to fight rebel groups has been blamed on corruption, with soldiers ill-equipped and poorly paid.
Thousands of innocent civilians have lost their lives in decades-long war in the region that has threatened to spill into neighbouring countries of Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda.
