On Friday, President Paul Kagame received and held talks with Uhuru Kenyatta, the former President of Kenya.
Kenyatta, who led Kenya from 2013 to 2022, is one of the facilitators appointed by regional organizations including the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to help Congolese citizens resolve internal conflicts, which have driven some to take up arms.
A post from the Office of the President (Village Urugwiro) on its X (formerly Twitter) account said that the discussions between President Kagame and Kenyatta “focused on ongoing initiatives aimed at achieving lasting peace in eastern DRC and addressing the root causes of the conflict.”
Kenyatta’s visit to Kigali comes just days after former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo also visited Rwanda and met with President Kagame. Obasanjo is another facilitator appointed by both EAC and SADC.
Kenyatta’s visit also coincides with ongoing talks in Doha, Qatar, between the government of DR Congo and the M23 rebel group, who have been at war for three and a half years.
Diplomatic sources close to the talks say that “progress is being made,” and there is renewed hope that both parties might agree to a ceasefire.
Reports also indicate that M23 and Kinshasa are facing pressure from the United States to reach a peace agreement.
In fact, Washington last month helped Rwanda and DR Congo sign a peace agreement, which was formalized in the U.S. capital.
