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KINSHASA – The government in the Democratic Republic of Congo says the East African regional forces had been unable to restore peace in the country and must leave by December.
Government spokesman, Patrick Muyaya, on Monday said they should go “because they had not been able to resolve the problem”.
He said the M23 rebels had refused to withdraw from the areas under their occupation in accordance with agreements signed in Luanda, Angola, last year, reported the BBC.
Muyaya added that a meeting of the regional East African Community (EAC) Heads of States “should rule on the incapacity of the regional force” to deal with the issue.
Since last November, troops from Uganda, Burundi, South Sudan and Kenya have been deployed as part of the East African Community Regional Force to restore peace in the troubled North Kivu province.
The region had been mired in conflict for at least two decades, with different armed groups operating there despite the presence of UN peacekeeping forces since 1999.
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The M23 stopped pulling out from areas under their occupation in April when President Felix Tshisekedi excluded them from talks.
Last year, EAC leaders ordered the M23 to cease fire and withdraw to Mount Sabinyo, on the DR Congo side of the border with Uganda.
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