Kenya deploys hundreds of troops to regional force in eastern DRC

Kenya is now the second east African nation to send troops to the eastern DRC after Burundi. On Wednesday, Kenyan President William Ruto presided over a ceremony for troops being sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Kenyan forces will be based in Goma, eastern DRC’s largest city.

Ruto said the mission was “necessary and urgent” for regional security adding that he and the DRC’s president had agreed on how Kenyan forces would work with Congolese and other forces on disarming rebels and peacekeeping in the country’s troubled east.

The troops commitment comes a day after angry crowds set fire to United Nations vehicles in Goma as frustrations mount over the advance of M23 rebels and the deteriorating security situation in the eastern DRC.

Violence by armed groups has led to a diplomatic crisis between the DRC and neighboring Rwanda. The DRC has accused Rwanda of supporting the rebels, which Rwanda denies. Meanwhile, it has accused the DRC of backing another rebel group hostile to Rwanda.