U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has called Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday to discuss the government of Kenya’s efforts to address the continued violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
This is contained in a press statement by the Office of the U.S. spokesperson.
Secretary Blinken expressed his appreciation for the Nairobi Process, which has brought together the leadership of the DRC, Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, South Sudan, and Tanzania.
The Secretary noted that these heads of state meetings are instrumental for facilitating the de-escalation of regional tensions, and in particular between the DRC and Rwanda.
The Secretary underscored the importance of free and fair Kenyan elections that are peaceful and reflect the will of the Kenyan people.
He also engaged on other regional issues, including U.S. efforts to support African countries suffering from food insecurity as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the historic drought in the Horn of Africa.
Security has deteriorated in two provinces in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since the government placed them under military rule last year, United Nations experts have said.
Last April, the government declared a state of siege in North Kivu and Ituri provinces in response to escalating attacks by militias, including repeated massacres by the ISIL (ISIS)-linked Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).
The state of siege placed the provinces under the authority of military governors. Dozens of militias have remained active in North Kivu and Ituri since the end of a major regional war in 2003.
“Despite a state of siege … the security and humanitarian situation in the two provinces deteriorated,” said a report submitted by the UN Group of Experts on the DRC to the Security Council on Friday.
It said the ADF had been dispersed by military operations but remained resilient, stepping up its attacks on civilians. “This escalation in the number of attacks and killings of civilians was part of ADF reprisal tactics, which were also aimed at dissuading operations against ADF,” the report said.
According to data from Kivu Security Tracker, which maps violence in eastern DRC, the ADF was responsible for 1,050 violent deaths in 2021, double the number in 2020.
DRC’s government spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He has previously denied the state of siege has been a failure, pointing to successes on the battlefield.
Uganda, another of the DRC’s neighbours, also sent troops in November to conduct joint operations with DRC forces against the ADF, which originated in Uganda.
Violence by other militias is also on the rise, the experts said.
The M23 rebels, who captured swaths of eastern DRC in 2012 before being beaten back the following year by Congolese troops and UN peacekeepers, launched a major offensive last month that has captured several strategic towns.
