Trump advisers coming to Uganda over DRC

WASHINGTON, United States

The US President’s top advisers for Africa are set to visit Uganda and meet President Museveni and his counterparts in the region over the escalating security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mr. Massad Boulos, the US senior advisor for Africa, and Corina Sanders, the US deputy assistant secretary of State for African Affairs, are to arrive in the region today, according to the US Department of State. “Senior adviser Boulos and deputy assistant secretary of state for African affairs Corina Sanders will travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda starting April 3.

During the trip, senior advisor Boulos and the team will meet with heads of state and business leaders to advance efforts for durable peace in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and to promote US private sector investment in the region,” a statement by the US Department of State reads.

Mr Boulos has had a rich experience in African issues since he worked in West Africa as a top manager for years. The situation in eastern DRC has continued to deteriorate following advances by the M23 rebels, a group the international community says is backed by Rwanda.

In the last two months, the rebels have seized two provincial capitals in eastern DRC and they are threatening to march to Kisangani and later to Kinshasa, the DR Congo capital, to topple Mr Felix Tshisekedi’s government.

The Daily Monitor was unable to confirm from Mr Museveni’s press secretaries whether he would meet the US envoys. There have been several initiatives at the regional, continental, and international levels to bring peace back to the DRC but in vain.

The latest initiative will see the Congolese government meet the rebel leaders in Doha, Qatar, in search of a peace settlement. The US accused Rwanda of supporting M23 rebels and has since sanctioned top Rwandan generals, rebel leaders, and Rwandan gold companies.

They also accuse Rwanda of deploying its soldiers in eastern DRC, which violates the territorial integrity of the sovereign country.

US allies in Europe have also sanctioned Rwanda’s gold companies and M23 rebels. Rwanda’s State Minister for Regional Integration, Gen James Kabarebe, and the spokesman of the M23 rebel group, Lawrence Kanyuka, were sanctioned by the US government in February.

Kanyuka’s companies: Kingston Fresh and Kingston Holding were also sanctioned. As the US embarks on the peace mission, the joint East Africa Community -Southern Africa Development Community is also bent on kick-starting the merged Luanda-Nairobi process to bring warring parties to the table.

Kenya President William Ruto, the chairperson of the EAC, yesterday had a virtual meeting with the panel of facilitators as instructed by the joint EAC-SADC summit of heads of state.

The panel of facilitators includes the former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo; former Kenya president Uhuru Kenyatta; former South Africa president Kgalema Motlanthe; former president of Central African Republic Catherine Samba Panza; and former president of Ethiopia Sahle-Work Zewde.

Despite the ongoing peace initiatives, the fighting in eastern DRC has continued. The M23 rebels said they aren’t part of the ceasefire agreements negotiated by Rwanda and the DRC presidents. The EAC-SADC members want a ceasefire between the warring parties.

Senior Adviser Boulos and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Corina Sanders will travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda starting April 3.

During the trip, Senior Adviser Boulos and the team will meet with heads of state and business leaders to advance efforts for durable peace in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and to promote US private sector investment in the region, – The US department of state