Kenya’s President William Ruto has flagged-off Kenyan soldiers to be deployed to eastern DRC. The deployment comes as a relief to Félix Tshisekedi’s government whose security has continued to crumble in the face of M23 rebels.
Kenya’s deployment is crucial because DRC had asked Nairobi to take a leadership role in the regional force.
Its soldiers will be deployed in the areas under threat from M23 rebels.Furthermore, the deployment comes at a moment of rising tension between Rwanda and DRC.
Last weekend, DRC expelled Rwanda’s ambassador and recalled its ambassador in Kigali as M23 rebels captured more territories.
Expels Rwanda’s ambassador as M23 rebels gain groundThe deployment of the East Africa Standby Force was agreed upon during the Nairobi talks of regional heads of state under the leadership of Uhuru Kenyatta between April and July this year.