President Yoweri Museveni on Monday met and held discussions with the former President of Kenya, Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, regarding the status of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) peace process.
Kenyatta is the chief facilitator of the peace talks in eastern DR Congo between M23 and the Congolese government.
The meeting, which was held at State House Entebbe, was also attended by the peace process Secretariat.
Kenyatta, arrived in Uganda on Saturday. During the meeting, President Museveni received a report of the status of the peace process. The process focuses on ending the inter-DRC hostilities.
The commanders of the M23, a mainly Tutsi rebellion that has seized large swathes of territory in this province bordering Rwanda and Uganda since last year, are demanding talks with the government as a prerequisite for their surrender.
The Congolese authorities declare for their part that they refuse any dialogue with the M23, demanding the disarmament and cantonment of its troops without conditions and the withdrawal of the Rwandan army.
The EAC force, which includes Kenyan, Ugandan, Burundian, and South Sudanese contingents, was criticised in May by Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi for cohabiting with the “M23 terrorists” and suggested that it would have to leave the country at the end of June if its “mandate is not fulfilled”.
Despite the absence of major developments in areas under M23 and EAC control, and sporadic clashes since early July, the presence of a regional force in eastern DRC has been extended until September.
