The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Goma, DRC | Xinhua | The first contingent of South Sudan’s army arrived Sunday in Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), under the mandate of the regional force of the East African Community (EAC).
Composed of about 40 military personnel, the first South Sudanese contingent, transported by the Kenyan army plane, will be deployed around Goma for peacekeeping operations.
“As of this Sunday and during the coming week, we begin the deployment of our colleagues from South Sudan who will join the other colleagues already deployed on the ground,” Emmanuel Kaputa, deputy commander of the EAC regional force, declared at the Goma airport.
This deployment came a few days after the deployment of nearly 1,000 Ugandan soldiers in the territory of Rutshuru of North Kivu.
South Sudan is, therefore, the fourth country to officially join the EAC regional force aimed at ending the violence in eastern DRC, after Kenya, Burundi and Uganda.
In 2022, the EAC countries set up a regional force to intervene in eastern DRC, in particular, to stem the advance of the March 23 Movement rebel group.
An advance party of the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces troops arrived in Goma-DRC on Sunday, 2nd April 2023 as part of EACRF, marking the final phase of deployment of EAC troops into Eastern DRC as directed by the Heads of State at the 20 Extra-Ordinary Summit in Bujumbura. pic.twitter.com/b0altxyJ31
— EACRF DRC (@eacrf_DRC) April 2, 2023
