The M23 rebels have declared their intention to retake territory that the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) had previously occupied.
According to a statement released on Sunday by the M23 spokesperson, Lawrence Kanyuka, “the M23 will recover and occupy all its areas that it handed over to EACRF at the beginning of the peace process following the departure of the EACRF from DRC for the well-being of the civilian population.”
However, the group stated that they remain dedicated to finding an amicable solution to the situation in the DRC.
“The M23 restates its commitment to a peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It will spare no effort to safeguard civilians and defend itself in a professional manner.”
The Congolese government declined to extend the mandate of the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF), thus on Sunday the force began to evacuate the territories it had taken over in the country.
Concurrently, the government of Felix Tshisekedi executed a deal to enable the Southern African Development Community (SADC) force to take over from the leaving EAC Regional Force.
Since the East African leaders’ conference authorized the deployment of a regional force, four nations—Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, and Burundi—have sent troops to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The deployment of the East African force began in November of last year.
