The Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) are preparing for a deployment in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as part of a regional operation tasked with tackling the Congolese rebel group March 23 Movement (M23).
The Kenyan Army troops are part of a special operation sent by the East African Community to combat insecurity, especially in the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri. Theirs will be the second after the contingent sent by Burundi last August 15.
The new contingent — between 6,500 and 12,000 troops — will operate near the border with Uganda, in the small town of Bunagana, reports Kenyan television channel NTV. This is an area that has been controlled by the M23 rebels since November 2021, after seven years of truce.
The East African Community regional force gained strength following an agreement reached by seven member states, although the current diplomatic crisis between DRC and Rwanda, after the former accused the latter of supporting the M23 rebels, has made the latter the only one not to send troops.
More than five million people, including two million in North Kivu province alone, have been forced to leave their homes due to a significant increase in insecurity and violence in eastern DRC over the past two years.
The M23 has been accused since November 2021 of carrying out attacks against DRC Army positions in North Kivu, seven years after the parties reached a truce. UN experts have accused Uganda and Rwanda of supporting the rebels, although both countries have denied this.
