The African Union (AU) on Tuesday welcomed East African Leaders’ decision to deploy a regional peacekeeping force to restore peace and stability in the unrest-hit parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), reported The East African.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Moussa Faki Mahamat, the Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, said he welcomed the recent decision by regional leaders to send peacekeepers to the DRC.
“The AU welcomes the outcome of the second heads of state conclave on DRC held on Thursday in Nairobi, particularly the decision to immediately deploy a regional force to restore peace and stability in the DRC,” the statement said.
In the statement, the AU Chairperson commends Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and the east African leaders for their common efforts toward finding a sustainable solution to the situation in eastern DRC and the Great Lakes region as a whole.
Mahamat also said the AU will continue its commitment to be one of the guarantors of peace efforts in the mineral-rich DRC, which is struggling to contain dozens of armed groups in the east of the nation.
On Thursday, five African countries agreed to deploy a regional force to the DRC to fight a rebel insurgency in the country. The EAC leaders appealed to rebel groups in DRC to lay down their arms and they invited them for talks in Kenya.
Last week, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also hailed efforts by Eastern African leaders to promote peace, stability, and development in the DRC and the greater East African region.
Guterres assured that the United Nations was fully behind East African states’ efforts in conflict resolution.
Notably, the eastern part of the DRC has been troubled by multiple notorious armed groups including the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and the March 23 Movement (M23).
