DRC: The East African Force ordered to leave

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has just ordered the East African Regional Force to leave its territory. In a message delivered last Sunday in Arusha, Tanzania, during the extraordinary meeting of the East African Community’s sectoral council on defence cooperation, the Congolese deputy prime minister in charge of national defence reiterated this decision.

According to Jean Pierre Bemba, the DRC authorities are not satisfied with the action of these troops on their territory.

For them, the East African Force has not succeeded in helping the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo to defeat the M23 rebellion still active in the region.

The authorities have indicated that these troops have until 8 December 2023 to pack their bags, and have announced that a summit of the region’s heads of state will be held shortly to take an important decision on the issue.

Africa’s sub-regional organisations (SROs) have recently become undesirable in all countries.

This is due to their inability to play their role to the full, in particular the maintenance of security in their member states.

Africa has always conveyed the image of a continent where violence is unleashed and whole societies are torn apart.

Although sub-regional organisations have historically been created to meet the needs of States in terms of economic and social development, they must redefine their missions in the area of security, at the risk of dooming themselves to failure.

However, this process will have to remain within a regional logic, to enable the commitment and harmonisation of policies between states, which will make it possible to launch crisis management operations and put an end to rivalry between states.

Neil Camara