Kinshasa

• The last contingent was of South Sudanese soldiers who joined troops from Kenya, Burundi and Uganda.
• The M23 re-emerged in 2022, prompting the east African region to send in troops.
• The EAC’s forces could be important in bringing the threat posed by the M23 under control, given the regional dimensions to this conflict.
• Here is a short overview of the players in the regional force and their connections to the DRC.

Kenya

• Kenya has relatively more economic resources than some other EAC members and a less complicated history with the DRC.
• While Kenya has had troops in the country since 1999 as part of the UN peacekeeping operation, it has been less tangled in previous conflicts in the DRC.

Burundi

• But a Burundian rights group has claimed that Burundi has been conducting secret operations against Burundian opposition groups within DRC for some time.
• The group also expressed concern that Burundi may use its membership of the regional force to continue operations against its opponents.

Uganda

• Despite their common foe, Uganda and DRC have a history of tension.
• The court ordered Uganda to pay US$325 million for its illegal occupation.
• Uganda made its first payment of US$65 million in September 2022.

South Sudan

• South Sudan is the most recent EAC member state to deploy troops to the DRC after some initial logistical delays.
• Despite South Sudan president Salva Kiir’s instruction that his troops not “go and rape women and girls”, their presence within the crowded theatre could increase the risk of human rights abuses.

Risky, but necessary?

• Monusco has struggled to mitigate the M23 or the numerous other rebel groups operating in the eastern region.
• One advantage for the EAC is that it’s leading both the political and military responses to the M23, which were previously led by different actors.
• The M23 threat requires both a political and military response, and ensuring these two prongs remain closely integrated is essential.