Molly Phee, the United States Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs, confirmed this during a recent media briefing regarding President Joe Biden's visit to Angola earlier this month.
During the presser on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, Phee stated that Kenyatta had committed to organizing talks between M23 and the DRC. The East African Community (EAC) endorsed this initiative, transferring the responsibility for resolving the armed group crisis in eastern DRC to the African Union (AU).
"President Kenyatta has agreed to help broker talks between M23 and the DRC. The EAC supported moving that mandate to deal with the armed groups in eastern DRC to the African Union. President Kenyatta was, in fact, in Luanda this past weekend," Phee stated while commenting on conflict resolution efforts in the region.
Her remarks come in the wake of the postponement of talks intended to bring together Presidents Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Félix Tshisekedi (DRC), and João Lourenço (Angola) in Luanda on December 15, 2024. The talks were delayed due to the DRC government's refusal to negotiate with M23.
On the scheduled meeting day, President Lourenço, Tshisekedi, and Kenyatta met in Luanda to discuss ways to restore lasting peace and security in eastern DRC.
One of the key issues discussed was the resumption of talks between the DRC government and armed groups operating in the eastern part of the country, including the possibility of involving M23.
President Biden had earlier tasked Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines with using U.S. intelligence resources to hold the DRC and Rwanda accountable for commitments they made to de-escalate tensions in eastern DRC in support of the Luanda mediation process.
M23 previously participated in the Nairobi talks in April 2022 but was expelled by an envoy of President Tshisekedi, who accused the group of instigating violence. M23 denied the allegations.
The DRC government continues to face pressure to reengage in dialogue with the group to address the security issues plaguing eastern DRC collaboratively.
Rwanda maintains that meaningful peace efforts in the region require the inclusion of M23, as the group remains one of the key players in the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC.
The Rwandan government has also called on the DRC to take 'serious' action against the FDLR, which poses a security threat to Rwanda. The FDLR comprises remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/uhuru-kenyatta-commits-to-helping-broker-talks-between-m23-and-drc
