By Zeenat Hansrod, KINSHASA DR Congo
During his two-day visit to Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta urged the Congolese to lay down arms and nurture a sense of patriotism.
The visit came as troops in
eastern DRC clashed anew with M23 rebels north of the key eastern city of Goma.
After Kenyatta landed in
Kinshasa on Sunday 13 November, he held talks with DRC’s President Felix
Tshisekedi at the Presidential Palace of Mount Ngaliema.
Kenyatta is acting as the East African Community's facilitator on the Peace
Process in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The visit takes place against
the backdrop of heavy fighting in Kibumba opposing the March 23 Mouvement (M23)
rebels and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC).
Kenyatta held a series of
meetings to assess the situation on the ground ahead the peace dialogue on
the security situation due on Monday 21 November in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.
This third round of peace
talks between DRC government and armed groups is held under the auspices of the
East African Community (EAC), which DRC joined in April 2022.
In an interview to the United Nations’ Radio Okapi, Kenyatta said that the EAC is
holding talks with the government and the Congolese people to see how peace can
prevail in the country and to encourage solidarity among the various
communities and ethnic groups.
“There are those who come from
elsewhere to divide you. But they don't divide you because they love you. They
divide you for their own interests, that they seek in your country.
“Weapons can only cause
victims. They can never bring you development and wealth,” he said.
Kenyatta met religious and
traditional leaders, representatives of local groups from eastern DRC as
well as women associations from Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu. He also spoke
with members of the governments and foreign diplomats.
The eastern DRC has been
plagued by fighting by at least 122 rebel groups, according to the United
Nations, for more than 25 years.
The M23 - a mostly Congolese
Tutsi group - has advanced towards Goma, the capital of North Kivu province,
and is stationed at 25 to 30 kilometres from the city. Kibumba is 20 kilometres
away from Goma.
The M23, Allied Democratic
Forces (ADF), Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO), and the
Mai-Mai are among the most deadly in North Kivu and Ituri, two mining
provinces bordering Rwanda and Uganda.
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