DRC rejects Kenya’s consul appointment to Goma, citing International law
Against this backdrop, the Congolese government warned that Nairobi's announcement risked conferring legitimacy on an "ongoing illegal occupation."
Barely a day after Kenya's President William Ruto reshuffled his diplomatic corps and named a new Consul General to Goma, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has fired back, invoking international law to assert its authority.
President Ruto had nominated Judy Kiaria Nkumiri as Kenya’s Consul General in Goma, DRC, a city currently under the control of M23 rebels.
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In a statement on Saturday, Kinshasa reminded Nairobi that "the appointment of any head of a foreign consular post on its territory is subject to prior approval and the issue of an exequatur by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."
Citing the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, it stressed that only Congolese authorities can greenlight such postings.
The reaction was more than bureaucratic fussiness.
Goma, in the mineral-rich province of North Kivu, is under the control of the M23 rebel group—designated as a terrorist movement by Kinshasa.
Against this backdrop, the Congolese government warned that Nairobi's announcement risked conferring legitimacy on an "ongoing illegal occupation."
"Any announcement regarding the appointment of a consul in Goma is particularly inappropriate and should not be considered without the approval of the Congolese authorities," the statement read.
Kinshasa further urged "caution and discernment in public communication, to avoid any misunderstanding, speculation or appearance of legitimisation."
The flare-up underscores the fragility of regional diplomacy.
Kenya, once lauded as a mediator in the eastern Congo conflict, now finds itself in a diplomatic tangle once again.
For President Felix Tshisekedi's government, appointing a consul general to Goma is legitimising the M23 rebel group, which has been fighting against the Congolese army.
Kinshasa has also consistently refused to accredit President Ruto's top envoy in Kinshasa over differences between the two leaders.
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