Uhuru Increases Calls For Calm And Cessation Of Hostilities In Eastern DRC

By Samuel Ouma [caption id="attachment_104114" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Uhuru meeting EAC Technical advisors[/caption] Former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, on Tuesday, January 31, 2023, convened an urgent consultation with the East Africa Community (EAC) Technical Advisors to the Office of the Facilitator to review the situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Kenyatta is the Facilitator of the EAC-Led Nairobi Process on the Restoration of Peace and Stability in the Central African country. The meeting was convened following the deteriorating security situation in eastern DRC, particularly in lturi and North Kivu, where a serious escalation of fighting and targeted killings is reported to be taking place. During the meeting, Kenyatta again called for calm and immediate cessation of hostilities. He further expressed deep concern about the severe violation of the Nairobi Principles and the Luanda Agreement. He also called for an urgent return to dialogue and consultation to promote trust and confidence among the parties to the conflict and alleviate the suffering of the people in eastern DRC. “The Facilitator remains committed to the course of building peace in eastern DRC and continues to call on regional leaders and the international community to lend their political goodwill and support to the full realization of the EAC-Led Nairobi Peace Process for the Restoration of Peace and Stability in eastern DRC,” read a statement in part released after the meeting.