South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
President Salva Kiir Mayardit has completed his regional tour that saw him visit Kinshasha and Luanda to shore up peace efforts in the restive Eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The Congolese government troops have been battling the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels in the North Kivu region since March 2022.
Kiir who chairs the East African Community on March 25, embarked on a regional peace tour to meet with President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo and also Angolan President Joao Manuel Laurenco who has been attempting to mediate peace in DRC.
Dr. James Pitia Morgan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said the tour was to highlight the importance of peace and stability in East Africa and the Great Lakes region.
“In his capacity as the Chairperson of East African Community (EAC), President Kiir toured the Great Lakes Region to drum up support for peace and security in the region, with a focus on the conflict in the Eastern DR Congo,” said a statement from the office of President issued in Juba.
It said that Kiir also engaged with his counterparts of DR Congo and Angola on matters of cooperation to restore peace in the region.
Kiir also met with Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye, who has blamed Rwanda for supporting rebels against his government.
Since the withdrawal of the East African Regional Force (EACRF) in December last year, fighting between the DRC armed forces (FARDC) and M23 rebels has intensified in the eastern part of the country.
DR Congo declined to renew EACRF’s mandate after Tshisekedi criticized the regional forces for failing to execute their mission of eliminating the M23 rebels and other armed groups who refused to surrender.
Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of backing M23 rebels.
Kigali on the other hand denies backing M23 rebels but has also warned that fighting the group, instead of addressing their grievances, could escalate the war.
