Only the Burundian troops escaped the wrath of Kinshasa, which accused the other contingents of the East African force of “collaborating” with the M23 rebels. A trust that goes back several years.
For a long time, secret agreements allowed Burundi to deploy troops responsible for tracking down the Burundian rebel movements of RED-Tabara and the FNL based in South Kivu, in neighboring DRC.
Military cooperation between Burundi and the DRC began during the era of President Joseph Kabila, when the ex-Hutu rebels of the CNDD-FDD in power in Burundi ,fought alongside the Congolese during the first and second Congo wars, and Kinshasa tends to have more confidence in the Burundian regime.
And a sign that these privileged links continue between the two country, the Burundian army is gaining strength in the east of the DRC, in accordance with a new bilateral military agreement signed between Félix Tshisekedi and Evariste Ndayishimiye at the end of August 2023 in Kinshasa.
The country today ,has as part of the EAC force , four battalions consist of around 3,200 soldiers in this part of the DRC and another battalion sent to North Kivu at the request of Kinshasa.
In detail, a Burundian battalion of 800 soldiers has just been sent to South Kivu, where it is added to the three others already there. And two other battalions are already pre-positioned in the Mudubugu military camp, not far from the Congolese border.
Arriving in the greatest secrecy in South Kivu at the end of 2021, the Burundian troops finally joined the deployment under the umbrella of the EAC in September 2022. Six months later, they arrived in North Kivu, at the express request of Kinshasa, with the mission of ensuring the security of the Saké area, straddling the territories of Masisi and Rutshuru, after the departure of the M23 rebels.
Ultimately, Burundi will deploy two brigades made up of three battalions each, which “are intended to be deployed in North Kivu after the planned departure of the other EAC forces,” explains a senior Burundian officer to RFI.
The objective of this “rise in power of the Burundian military” is mutual security, confirms our source at the Congolese presidency who adds that this presence in the east of the country is intended to last. “The Burundians will stay in the DRC even if the others leave, that’s clear.” But none of our sources wanted to expand on the exact role that the Burundian contingent will then have to play.
Concerning the EAC, the mandate was extended once again until the beginning of December. “Time for heads of state to examine the mission’s evaluation report,” explains the Congolese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Christophe Lutundula. But it is a “respite”, he warns, to consider a programmed and gradual withdrawal. A withdrawal which should therefore not concern the Burundian forces.
Claude HATEGEKIMANA
Rwandatribune.com