Africa Africa UGrowth 25 February 2024 0 Comments

East African Community woes: Expanding bloc struggles to pacify members

Summary

The EAC Regional Force was deployed for a year before Kinshasa asked it to leave, accusing it of refusing to engage M23 rebels.
EAC watchers are concerned that the recent exchange of bitter words between the presidents of Rwanda, DRC, and Burundi does not augur well for the community.
Burundi cut relations and closed its border with Rwanda because Kigali is allegedly supporting the Red Tabara rebels.
In Eastern DRC, there are more than 120 militias, each controlling an economic interest.

Leaders of the African Union (AU) ended their annual summit in Addis Ababa last week without succeeding in ending the wars in East Africa, especially the deadly one in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which the continental body admits could stall its agenda.