Musalia Mudavadi: ‘Kenya strongly dissociates itself from utterances by DRC’s rebels-associated nationals in Nairobi

Kenya has distanced itself from utterances made by some nationals of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) claiming association with rebel groups within the east African country.

Some DRC nationals held a press conference in a hotel in Nairobi on Friday, launching the Congo River Alliance, a new rebel group. Corneille Nang’aa was part of the delegation and stated that he was looking forward to creating a lasting solution for Congo.

In a statement, the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Musalia Mudavadi said,

“Kenya strongly disassociates itself from any utterances or activities likely to injure the peace and security of the friendly nation of DRC and has commenced investigation to determine the identities of the makers of the statement and the extent to which their utterances fall outside constitutionally protected speech.”

Mudavadi added that Kenya respects the sovereignty of the DRC stating,

“Kenya further affirms its non-involvement in the internal affairs of DRC and commits to continue supporting the peace, security, and democratic consolidation of the country.”

This comes as the DRC government recalled its ambassadors to Kenya and Tanzania on Saturday 17,2023 following an announcement by Congo’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Alain Tshibanda.

Instability in DRC

The DRC has been in the headlines for years with conflict and rebels causing instability in the East African region.

The East African Community sent soldiers to help stabilize the country but some troops from different countries in the region, including Kenya, have already left the DRC.

As the East African reports, the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) will have left the territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) entirely by January 8, 2024, allowing local authorities to secure the troubled east.

This week, military chiefs from the EAC troop-contributing countries met in Arusha to assess the departure programme after their mandate ended formally on December 8. They agreed for a month-long drawdown, hoping for an official handover to incoming troops from the Southern Africa Development Cooperation (SADC).

DRC’s President Tshisekedi has blamed Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame for supporting M23 rebels in Congo. On the other hand, Kagame has constantly refuted the claims.

M23 has taken over various parts of Eastern Congo, displacing people. The DRC is set to hold a presidential election on December 20 this year.