His absence deals a blow to Ruto’s mediation efforts between Tshisekedi and Kagame.
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Félix Tshisekedi revealed on Monday, January 29 that he will not attend the virtual emergency summit of East African Community (EAC) leaders to address the crisis in the DRC.
This decision means that he will skip the meeting convened by President Ruto who was the orchestrator of the summit in his capacity as EAC chair. Ruto was set to facilitate high-level talks between Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame to bring an end to the ravaging war in the DRC.
The new development was communicated by presidential spokesperson Tina Salama, attributing Tshisekedi’s absence from the summit to scheduling reasons.
His absence deals a blow to Ruto’s mediation efforts between Tshisekedi and Kagame. Tensions remain high, with Kinshasa accusing Ruto of bias and rejecting his call for direct talks with M23 rebels.
A collage of Presidents William Ruto, Paul Kagame (Rwanda), and Felix Tshisekedi (DRC), Tuesday, January 28. /PCS, PRESIDENCY RWANDA, TSHISEKEDI
It is worth noting that Tshisekedi has previously criticized Ruto’s role. The ongoing conflict has often obscured deeper tensions among the leaders, with Tshisekedi publicly accusing Ruto of aligning with Rwanda.
In the previous year, President Tshisekedi criticized Ruto for taking over the Nairobi Peace Process, which was originally spearheaded by former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. Speaking at the Brookings Institution, Tshisekedi described the East African Community-led peace efforts as “poorly managed” and even declared them “dead.”
He insisted that Kenyatta should remain the official facilitator but openly remarked, “I must admit, President Ruto is backing Rwanda, and I will say no more on that.”
A planned meeting between President Tshisekedi and President Kagame on December 15 last year to address the crisis in eastern DRC was ultimately called off due to disagreements over preconditions.
For a better part of Sunday and Monday, Goma, which is the largest city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), was subjected to heavy gunfire as Rwanda-backed M23 rebels took on central authorities in the region.
According to the United Nations (UN), the escalating conflict between the rebel groups and the government has led to the displacement of more than 400,000 people, further fuelling a fresh spate of protests.
The devastating conflict has since spewed to the Rwandan border, affecting civilian activities including schooling and businesses in Rubavu, which borders DRC. A ripple effect of the conflict has been protests in Kinshasa, with citizens voicing their anger about the volatile state of the country.
In Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, protesters attacked the embassies of the US, Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda, causing property damage and prompting strong condemnation from the affected nations.
President Ruto is among East African leaders who have called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and renewed efforts for peace in Eastern DRC. Speaking from State House Nairobi on Monday, Ruto emphasized the urgent need for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
