EACRF blames ceasefire violation for death of Kenyan peacekeeper in DR Congo

The East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) on Wednesday blamed a breach of ceasefire between Congolese army and armed groups for the death of a Kenyan peacekeeper a day earlier.

The regional mission, to which Kenya contributes troops, confirmed that a Kenyan soldier had been killed by mortar fire following a clash between the Congolese armed forces (FARDC) and the M23 rebel group.

But instead of taking Kinshasa's line that the M23 was to blame, the EACRF accused both sides of violating a ceasefire agreed on months ago.

“The ceasefire agreement between the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and the M23 Armed group was breached,” the Mission said in a statement on Wednesday, referring to the October 24 incident.

“The hostile clashes fatally wounded a Kenyan peacekeeper stationed at Kanyamahoro, near Kibumba, 15km North East of Goma. Consequently, investigations...have commenced.”

A spokesman blamed the M23 rebel group for the attack on the EACRF.

Lt-Col Kaiko Ndjike, the spokesman for the Congolese army in North Kivu, said that “the M23 attacked with a mortar fire that led to the death on Tuesday of a peacekeeper from the East African Community Regional Force.”

"After facing the determination of the FARDC (Congolese army) on the morning of Tuesday, when they attacked one of our positions, the M23, supported by the Rwandan army, directed their mortar fire at the advanced positions of the EACRF, with the aim of accusing the FARDC of being the perpetrators of the said fire and thus attracting the good graces and sympathy of the Regional Force, obviously creating a misunderstanding between the latter and the loyal forces of the DRC,” the Congolese army said in a statement on Tuesday.

In fact, the EACRF says the two sides should not have clashed in the first place under a ceasefire agreement reached in Luanda earlier this year, which called for the M23 to withdraw from their positions while the Congolese army prepared cantonment sites for the rebels.

The violations mean that both conditions of the ceasefire, known as the Luanda process, have been violated.

“The East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) calls for the return to the ceasefire agreement and the cessation of hostilities between the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and the M23 armed group.”

The M23 did not immediately respond to the allegations.

The EACRF, which was deployed in November last year, has often refused to engage in direct combat with rebel groups in eastern DRC, choosing instead to act as a buffer for civilian areas.

But the attack, the second on the EACRF in a week, could signal a direct threat to EACRF positions, which are currently shared between troop contributors Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Burundi.