Burundi to send about 100 troops to DRC as part of EAC regional force
KINSHASA, March 5 (NNN-GNA) –The conflict-torn nation of the DR Congo is still far from being at peace. Late last year, the eastern DRC, which has been suffering with the rise of militias such as the rebel March 23 Movement, saw the deployment of troops by the seven-nation East African Community.
Burundi will send 100 soldiers as part of a regional force on Saturday to the troubled eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), media has reported.
According to reports, an unidentified senior Burundian army commander said on Friday that “about 100 soldiers” would be flying to Goma the next day. The troops will be stationed in Sake as well as the M23-controlled towns of Kitshanga and Kilorirwe.
The deployment of Burundian troops on Saturday was confirmed in a press release from the EAC on Friday, although the number of soldiers going to the DRC was not specified.
The M23 must leave by March 30 in accordance with a new timeline established by the East African leaders last month. The three-step process was supposed to begin on Feb 28.
Earlier, the key negotiator in the eastern DRC peace process, Uhuru Kenyatta, urged the nations of the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) to deploy their troops fully in the east of the country to protect controlled areas from clashes between the government forces and rebels. — NNN-GNA
