The East African Community (EAC) plans to launch its own quest to try and restore peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

They will be about the umpteenth organization that has tried and failed to even make a dent in trying to straighten out the DRC. And many more will follow, but unfortunately all attempts will end in dismal failure if all efforts are not accompanied by political will; by both the DRC government and the UN.

Year in year out, the UN, with the world’s largest peacekeeping contingent, has announced with fanfare of its "imminent” offensive against DRC’s largest and deadliest militia, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). The world is still waiting.

What is stopping the UN – with its robust and extended mandate – from following through with its obligations? Something does not seem to be right.

But the UN’s presence should not be an excuse for the primary party concerned – the DRC government – to renege on its principle duty of protecting its own citizens.

Maybe its lethargy in addressing the issue could be contributing to the lack of urgency by the foreign peacekeepers in dealing with FDLR once and for all.

While the EAC’s attempt in trying to bring peace to the DRC when others have failed is commendable, it is very likely it will hit a dead end if the FDLR menace is not uprooted. The time has come to put words into action.