EACRF mandate in Congo extended to September

GOOBJOOG NEWS | KINSHASA: The East African Community regional force will remain in Congo until September, a spokesperson for the force has said.

The regional force was sent to the eastern part of Congo to quell decades long conflict that had caused the death of several civilian and displaced thousands more.

In April, the force’s commander Major General Jeff Nyagah resigned sighting obstruction and threats to his life, further casting doubt on the force’s effectiveness to restore peace in the troubled nation.

Speaking during a recent summit in Burundi, the spokesperson said that member states had agreed to extend the mandate of the force to enable it complete its tasks and stabilize the region ahead of its withdrawal.

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s president Felix Tshisekedi has come out publicly to criticize EACRF accusing it of not being aggressive enough and failing to deter the M23 rebels which has been operating in the eastern part of the country since last year.

Tshisekedi had initially agreed to extend the EACRF’s mandate until June.