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South Sudan President in DRC for regional peace efforts

South Sudan President Salva Kiir. (Photo: File/AFP)

By Mwangi Maina | 24 Mar 2024

Salva Kiir, himself facing ethnic clashes and political tensions in his country ahead of the elections this year, aims to prevent a full-scale war.

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir, who also chairs the East African Community (EAC), will meet his DRC counterpart Felix Tshisekedi on Monday in more efforts to ease regional tensions over attacks by rebel groups.

Kiir, who left Juba on Sunday, recently visited Rwanda and Burundi to try and quell the friction among the three neighbours, which has seen the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi gang up against Rwanda.

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The DRC and Burundi accuse Rwanda of backing the M23 and Red-Tabara rebels, who have been staging attacks and wreaking havoc, but Kigali denies this.

Kiir, himself facing ethnic clashes and political tensions in his country ahead of elections this year, aims to "stem violence, calm rhetoric, and reduce regional tensions" in part by preventing a full-scale war.

He has twice failed to accomplish his mission due to internal disputes and had to cancel his visit to Kinshasa, the DRC's capital, in early March.

Kiir is accompanied by Kenyan Peter Mathuki, the embattled and recalled EAC secretary-general, who is continuing his role until the EAC Summit determines his fate.

The Tutsi-dominated M23 rebels are fighting in the mineral-rich region, while the Red-Tabara, a Burundian rebel group, killed a dozen civilians in a raid on a border village, leading to the closure of borders with Rwanda

Burundi, which neighbours Rwanda, became embroiled in the conflict after officially joining the Southern African Development Community (SADC) forces fighting the M23 rebels in the Eastern DRC. This move turned the conflict regional.

Clashes by militant groups over territory and natural resources and political violence have escalated the situation.

In addition to reports of mounting civilian deaths in the Eastern DRC, the UN declared that the number of internally displaced people reached a record high of 6.9 million as fighting rendered a growing part of the country unsafe for civilians.

A Kenyan diplomat engaged in the Nairobi Process, a regional peace initiative to resolve the conflict in the Eastern DRC, told The Eastleigh Voice, "We shall de-escalate. Hold your horses."

Last week, the African Union Peace and Security Council endorsed last year's deployment of the Southern African Regional Force to the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

In a statement released Saturday, the council asked the African Union Commission to gather necessary support for the force, including from the AU Peace Fund Crisis Reserve Facility.