The Speaker of the fifth East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), Joseph Ntakirutimana, on March 28, acknowledged and lauded the vital role being played by his country, Burundi, through the leadership of President Evariste Ndayishimiye, in promoting peace in the region.
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This was as the Chairperson of the EAC Summit, Ndayishimiye, officially opened the session of the fifth EALA at the national Assembly buildings in Bujumbura, Burundi.
The Assembly will sit in Bujumbura from March 27 to April 7, during its first regular plenary session ever since its inauguration in December 2022.
Ntakirutimana recognized the role and efforts Ndayishimiye has put in place, as the Chairperson of the EAC Summit, in supporting the AU-mandated Nairobi peace process in restoring peace in DR Congo.
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The Speaker encouraged Ndayishimiye to continue to seek a permanent solution to the conflict in DR Congo.
Ntakirutimana also lauded Ndayishimiye for the strong leading role that Burundi has continued to play in supporting peace missions on the continent, particularly in Somalia, Central African Republic and DR Congo.
In June 2022, regional lawmakers backed efforts by former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta after he reaffirmed the bloc’s determination to ensure peace and stability returns to the east of the DR Congo.
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That was a few days after the former Chairperson of the EAC Summit, announced the activation of the East African Regional Force to intervene in the ongoing conflict in eastern DR Congo and defuse it.
Burundi deployed its troops to eastern DR Congo as part of the East African Community Regional Force on March 5, as approved by the regional leader’s mini-summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on February 17. Their deployment was also in line with the implementation of directives by the 20th Extra-Ordinary Summit of EAC Heads of State held on February 4, in Bujumbura, Burundi; and the subsequent February 9 meeting of the EAC military chiefs, in Nairobi, Kenya.
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Kenya was the first country to deploy troops to eastern DR Congo under EACRF. Uganda and South Sudan also announced deployment plans, but only Ugandan troops have since moved to join the EACRF operation.
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The initial deployment – in November 2022 as a peace enforcement unit – was the region’s effort to try to calm a deteriorating security situation especially after the resurgence of the M23 rebellion overshadowed the presence of more than 130 armed groups in eastern DR Congo, including the FDLR, a terrorist group sanctioned by the Security Council in 2013.
Kinshasa has objected to the idea of Rwanda also contributing troops to the regional force.
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Relations between the two countries have gone from bad to worse in the past two years, with Kinshasa accusing Kigali of supporting the M23 rebels’ resurgence. Kigali maintains that the sustained collaboration between the Congolese army and armed groups, especially the FDLR – a militia formed nearly three decades ago by the masterminds of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi – is at the heart of the insecurity affecting the region.
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The FDLR, a UN sanctioned genocidal group based in eastern DR Congo for close to three decades, has launched attacks on Rwanda throughout the years, including in 2019 when fighters of its RUD Urunana faction killed 14 civilians in Musanze District in Rwanda’s Northern Province.
While in Kinshasa, French President Emmanuel Macron, on March 4, advised the DR Congo leadership to look inward, stop living in denial about what really ails their country, as well as stop blaming other countries for all its ills.
During a joint press conference with Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, Macron said: "Since 1994, you have never been able to restore the military, security or administrative sovereignty of your country. It's a reality. We must not look for culprits outside.”
Boycott
In February, DR Congo representatives at the Assembly boycotted two-day capacity building retreats in held in Uganda and Rwanda, respectively, reportedly because they were concerned about their security while in the two countries’ capitals.
Now, however, the Congolese representatives have travelled to Bujumbura for the Assembly’s sitting. Surprisingly, in early March, Congolese lawmakers who are members of EALA’s standing Committee on Communication, Trade and Investment attended an oversight activity in Uganda.
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DR Congo became EAC’s seventh member in March 2022 and was expected to bolster the bloc’s potential through various ways including opening the corridor from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean.
Review of EAC Treaty necessary
Among others, since its inauguration, the fifth Assembly has been impressing upon the EAC Council of Ministers to fully implement the Administrative of EALA Act, 2012, which grants the regional Assembly administrative and financial autonomy, a law which is expected to improve the efficiency of the Assembly in achieving its mandate.
The fifth Assembly has also been requesting the EAC Summit as well as the Council to review the Treaty for the establishment of the Community, which was published in 2001. The Treaty came into force when the bloc only constituted three partner states – Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
The EAC now comprises seven partner states – after the admission of Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan and, lately, DR Congo. An application by Somalia – the Horn of Africa nation submitted its application in February 2012 – is also being fast-tracked.
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A review of the Treaty is necessary to align the document with the growth and changes that have so far taken place in the Community.
Key among amendments of the Treaty being targeted by the regional Assembly is the full implementation of directive number 25 of the 15th EAC Heads of State Summit that directed the Council to study modalities of including Kiswahili and French as official languages of the Community.
This amendment is expected to improve and ease aspects of communication in the Assembly.