The United Nations Security Council was late Wednesday set to be briefed on the security situation in eastern DR Congo, months after the resurgence of skirmishes between the Congolese army (FARDC) and the M23 rebels. The Council was to be briefed by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO). The development comes just days after the East African Community announced it had agreed to deploy a joint East African Force to help neutralise the armed groups in eastern DR Congo, which recently joined the bloc. This, despite widespread suspicion from different Congolese actors. Meanwhile, social media continues to be used by Congolese politicians and civil society groups to incite violence and attacks against Congolese Tutsi communities and is awash with videos and photos of civilians being harassed and murdered by mobs in ethnic attacks. Amidst all this, tensions between Kigali and Kinshasa show no sign of subsiding with Congolese leaders continuing to accuse Rwanda of backing the M23 rebels – claims the latter has rejected and which neither MONUSCO nor the DR Congo-based regional monitoring body, EJVM, have confirmed. On the other hand, Kigali has in recent days accused Congolese army and the genocidal FDLR militia (established by elements blamed for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda) of shelling the Rwandan territory on multiple occasions, leaving civilian casualties. In the meantime, speaking to The New Times during an exclusive interview, EAC Secretary-General admitted the secretariat is not fully familiar with the situation in the Congo. The bloc has a department for peace and security but it has historically been underfunded and has previously been dogged by internal wrangling, further crippling its ability to monitor issues of peace and security across the bloc. This means it has barely carried out its role of monitoring and investigating cases and serving as an early warning mechanism to avert security crises. And, as a result, it affects the ability of the EAC leadership as a whole to deal with security threats in time. However, the current situation in the Congo, as well as other recent security problems in a few other member states, call for the EAC to deliberately strengthen its peace and security department and ensure that it carries out its mandate accordingly so as to help inform the bloc’s decision-making. This would see the EAC become active participants – from an informed position – in finding lasting solutions to security challenges faced by any partner state or in resolving disputes between its members.
