Defence CS Aden Duale: Why KDF soldiers were deployed to DRC

Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has come out to clarify the government’s decision to deploy Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers to the Democratic Republic of Congo amid ongoing conflict.

Speaking on Citizen TV’s JKLive show on Wednesday, CS Duale pointed out that the KDF troops were dispatched to the Central African nation as peace enforcers of the larger East Africa Regional Force (EAPF) group.

He defended the government’s move to send the battalion saying other nations in the East African Community (EAC) region had also deployed their forces to the EAPF.

“We are in Congo, not as the Kenya Defence Forces, but as the East Africa Community Regional Force established five years ago. We are restoring peace and we are peace enforcers, not peacekeepers,” Duale said.

“There were a number of meetings that culminated in us going to Congo. We are not the only ones going to Congo; we are contributing one battalion, Uganda is contributing two battalions, Burundi two, Rwanda two and South Sudan one battalion. It is only Tanzania which, for now, is not contributing any battalion to the East Africa Regional Force.”

On why Kenya had prioritised the deployment, the CS said that its focus was on restoring peace and creating a chance for dialogue in the conflicting regions.

Duale argued that the African Union and the EAC had formed two units, one diplomatic and the other military, to facilitate a ceasefire in the conflict.

“They proposed two road maps, the diplomatic route led by former President Uhuru Kenyatta and the President of Angola, and the military route which the combined East African forces are going there,” he stated.

“We want to restore peace and give chance to dialogue which is taking place in Rwanda and Nairobi.”

Likewise, CS Duale said that Kenya was also seeking to open up a humanitarian corridor in the region.

According to him, Kenya’s involvement had added to the already existing United Nations teams in the region and thus was boosting partnerships in restoring peace in the region and the whole of Africa.

“The East African Community summit passed a resolution which was then adopted by the African Union peace and Security Council and further upscaled to the UN security council. We are part of the EARF that is going to restore peace and order,” Duale stated.

Consequently, the CS mentioned EAPF troops would help in the disarmament of various militia groups in Eastern DRC.

He revealed that there were over 100 militia groups which are terrorising civilians in the Congo and thus disarming them would ensure peace, which in turn reassures development across the EAC region.

"Congo is an economic partner with Kenya since they use the port of Mombasa but above all, if Congo is not safe and stable, Kenya will be affected. If it is not stable, Kenya will be affected," he said.

On whether the involvement in the DRC conflict endangers the lives of Kenyan troops, CS Duale sought to allay fears as he remained optimistic that the soldiers had all it would take to withstand the tough situation ahead.

"In every confrontation you expect anything…but our forces are trained before they go in any mission. They were trained in Isiolo for five months. We have taken all the precautions to make sure our forces are safe but in a situation like DRC Congo, anything can happen," he said.