This archive report was first published on 24 October 2019.
On Thursday, senior military officers from five countries in Africa's Great Lakes region gathered in eastern DR Congo to discuss security issues. The meeting took place in the town of Goma, in North Kivu province, and was attended by senior officers from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.
According to a source, the meeting aimed to discuss security in the Great Lakes region, which has been plagued by conflict for nearly a quarter of a century. The region is home to militia groups that evolved from the two Congo wars (1996-1997 and 1998-2003).
The DRC's chief of staff, General Celestin Mbala, has been suggesting joint military operations to eradicate armed groups in the troubled east. In a letter dated October 2, seen by AFP, General Mbala proposed a first meeting to be held in Goma on September 13 and 14.
However, a pro-government DRC legislator, Juvenal Munubo, has expressed concerns about the proposed joint operations. He warned that authorizing Rwandan, Ugandan, and Burundian troops to enter the DRC would be a 'mistake that absolutely must be avoided.'
Among the militias troubling the Kivu region are the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an Islamist-rooted Ugandan armed group, and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). Both groups are accused of atrocities in the DRC.
