Kenya has issued a security alert to its citizens living and working in the troubled Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as the conflict in the vast country escalates amid a global push for a ceasefire and mediation.
- Government forces have been fighting a rebel alliance led by M23, in a conflict which begun in the eastern part of the country but is rapidly escalating to other parts of the mineral rich country.
- The conflict has attracted regional and global attention, with a growing concerted push for a ceasefire and mediation to stem the likelihood that it could worsen or spill over into neighbouring countries.
- Foreign mission facilities including Kenya’s embassy and personnel in Kinshasa have faced attacks by riotous mobs protesting the violent conflict, and the perceived participation of several countries.
“Following the disturbing situation, we are requesting Kenyans in the DRC to take extreme caution of their security situation, and where necessary consider possible evacuation, especially from the volatile regions. The Kenyan government is considering the evacuation of Kenyans who can reach out to our consulate in Goma and our temporary offices in Congo Brazzaville,” Musalia Mudavadi, Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary said.
Meanwhile, the United States has sanctioned two individuals and two companies linked to violence and human rights abuses in the conflict. The individuals are Rwanda’s Minister of State for Regional Integration James Kabarebe, and the M23 and the Congo River Alliance spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka Kingston, alongside two of Kanyuka’s companies, Kingston Fresh and Kingston Holding.
The US highlighted some of M23’s recent successes in the conflict, which include seizing the North Kivu provincial capital of Goma on January 27 and the South Kivu provincial capital of Bukavu on February 16.
“This aggression has undermined the territorial integrity of the DRC. With Rwanda’s support, it has also threatened, injured, killed, and displaced thousands of innocent civilians, cost the lives of three UN peacekeepers and wounded several others. This violence risks escalating into a broader regional conflict,” the US said in a statement.
The designation of Kabarebe is widely seen as mounting pressure on Rwanda to cease supporting the resurgent M23. Kigali has also denied that it has troops embedded within the armed group, although several international investigations have shown that it has thousands of troops in the country. Kenya and Uganda have also been accused of facilitating some facets of the DRC conflict, include supporting M23 and its umbrella political alliance, Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC).
In July 2024, the US and the EU sanctioned another high ranking Rwandan official, Colonel Augustin Migabo of the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), and ten other people for the same reasons.
