by MAUREEN KINYANJUI
Monday January 2, 2023
EAC Inter-Congolese peace facilitator former President Uhuru Kenyatta during the last day of the DRC peace talks on December 6, 2022. Image: ENOS TECHE
With the change of guard witnessed when President William Ruto took over in September 2022, many assumed his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta would be left jobless.
Ruto, however, revealed that the retired President would be steering peace initiatives in the region.
He noted that Uhuru had done a commendable job steering peace initiatives, especially in the neighbouring country of Ethiopia which was affected by a bloody conflict in November 2020 after Tigray rebels attacked government soldiers.
"On the peace initiatives in our region including both in Ethiopia and Great Lakes Region, I have asked my elder brother President Uhuru Kenyatta who has done a commendable engagement with those regions and he has graciously agreed to continue chairing those discussions on behalf of the people of Kenya," Ruto said.
In November, Uhuru visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for two days of peace talks as an East African Community (EAC) facilitator.
He noted then that it was currently impossible for him to realise the potential of his role when the fighting and displacements were ongoing.
Uhuru had lamented that the rebel groups had not upheld the provisions of the Nairobi Conclaves, agreed upon by all EAC Heads of State.
The fighting troops were to stay in their locations as per the pact.
As part of his mission, Uhuru interacted with displaced residents who passionately pleaded with him to ensure the region enjoys peace and stability.
"Goma is in a state of fear right now," an area resident lamented to Uhuru after he alighted in the rebel-dominated area.
Uhuru pledged to expedite the peace talks and resolve the conflicts in the area.
Behind the scenes, the former head of state has also been engaged in efforts to reconcile warring factions in South Sudan, Mozambique, the Central African Republic and Somalia.
His efforts have already bore fruits, having successfully worked with former Nigeria President Olusegun Obasanjo to convince Ethiopian warring groups to give dialogue a chance for the next two years.
Ethiopia's government forces reached a truce with rebel Tigrayan forces mediated in South Africa by the African Union.
The deal was meant to end a two-year conflict that has caused a humanitarian crisis in the region with a population of 6 million.
A previous five-month cease-fire between the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan forces broke down in August, leading to fresh clashes.
However, both parties agreed to silence the guns and end the conflict, which has been welcomed worldwide.
President Ruto, who picked Uhuru as a peace envoy, is being put in the regional and global limelight as a peace negotiator.
Uhuru has been pursuing a ‘dialogue’ method to end the violence in eastern DRC.
The conflict there has been blamed for scores of deaths, displaced over 140,000 people and precipitated a major humanitarian crisis.
The former President called for all armed groups to “silence the guns.”
“All groups that currently bear arms should lay those arms down and choose the path of peace through dialogue,” he said in Kinsasha, warning that nothing good can be achieved through the barrel of a gun.
“Silence the guns and join in a political process,” Uhuru said.
As he called for a ceasefire, the fighting had moved close to the key eastern city of Goma, causing a fresh wave of displacements amid diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict.
On December 6, 2022, Uhuru announced that there shall be no more meetings in peace talks in Nairobi to restore security in Eastern Congo
Uhuru instead said two follow-up meetings of the concluded Nairobi peace process will be held in January at Goma and Bunia in the war-stricken Central African nation.