Former President Uhuru Kenyatta hosted Bertrand Bisimwa, chairperson of the M23 rebel group accompanied by senior political and military leaders in Mombasa on the Kenyan coast.
Among others, the M23 rebels agreed Thursday to adhere to a ceasefire and withdraw their forces from North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo which has remained the most volatile in the country.
The rebels agreed after meeting with former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta in Mombasa on the Kenyan coast.
The rebels, “agreed to continue to respect and cooperate with the East African Regional Force that has now begun to take control of the areas vacated by the M23,” said Kenyatta, who is the East Africa Community facilitator to the Nairobi Process on Peace and Security in Eastern Congo.
M23 leaders requested Kenyatta to ensure safety in the Congo, citizen rights are upheld/recognised and all local and foreign-armed groups fighting in eastern Congo lay down their weapons, cease fighting or attacks on the rebels and seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
The meeting was part of the Nairobi Peace Dialogue between Congolese armed groups and the Congolese government, geared toward restoring peace and security.
According to Kenyatta’s office, the situation in North Kivu, which was the most volatile in the conflict in eastern Congo has improved and is gradually stabilising in the past 4 weeks.
