On December 3, the East African Community (EAC) regional force began withdrawing from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
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| Kenyan soldiers fly home after completing their security mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. (Source: ENCA) |
Kenyan soldiers, part of the EAC regional force, departed from Goma airport in eastern North Kivu province on the morning of December 3, after the DR Congo government decided not to renew the force's mandate.
Since November 2022, the EAC regional force has been stationed in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo to respond to renewed conflict between the country's army and the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels.
DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi plans to replace the EAC Regional Force with a force deployed by the Southern African Development Community (SADC). However, there are no specific details about this deployment.
The withdrawal of the EAC Regional Force comes as the DRC prepares for presidential and legislative elections scheduled for December 20.
Notably, some areas in the east of the country, which are currently occupied by rebels, will not be able to hold elections due to insufficient voter registration.
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