DRC needs political reform to defeat armed groups — East African nations

Kenya is hosting a third round of talks, convened by the East African Community (EAC) regional bloc, aimed at bringing peace to the volatile eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

This week’s talks in Nairobi focus on the crucial question how to solve the political, security and social problems that have plagued the eastern DRC for decades. This essentially inter-Congolese dialogue involves local community leaders, civil society organizations, and some of the armed groups active in eastern DRC.

The EAC suggests Congo needs to implement political and institutional reforms that will make it conducive to defeat and disarm the armed groups. The eastern DRC is engulfed in violence in part because of armed groups competing over the area’s rich mines. Neighboring countries’ troops have crossed into DRC, chasing rebel groups that they accuse of trying to destabilize their countries.

“To also deepen the consultation of communities and armed groups from the concerned areas for the greater inclusivity and greater ownership of the process … and identification of root causes of the conflict in the five provinces and finally to evaluate the concrete modalities for the restoration of state authority in each province,” former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is also the EAC’s peace envoy to DRC, said. Most recently, the Congolese army has been fighting with the rebel group M23, which it accuses of receiving military support from Rwanda, an accusation denied by Kigali.