Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has condemned the escalation of tension, killings, and displacements in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Kenyatta, who is the facilitator of the East African Community (EAC)-led Nairobi peace talks in the restoration of peace and stability in eastern DRC has called for the immediate cessation of hostilities in the troubled region.

"The facilitator appeals to all parties engaged in such acts to immediately cease their armed offensives and hostilities, to allow continued unhindered and sustained humanitarian access and to give a chance to a return to peace and the pursuit of a non-military solution to the crisis in the region," Kenyatta said in a statement.

In May this year, the former President attended the 11th high-level summit for peace and security for the DRC and the entire East Africa region as well. The meeting was held in Bujumbura, Burundi.

During the summit, EAC Heads of State, government officials, and representatives of guarantor institutions urged armed groups in eastern DRC, Sudan, and other parts of the region to cease hostilities without conditions. 

The leaders told the M23 rebels in DRC, warring forces in Sudan and other parts of the region to end the violence and engage in voluntary disarmament.

In August 2022, Kenyatta was appointed to the position of the facilitator of the peace talks during an announcement made at the 22nd Ordinary Summit of EAC Heads of State in Arusha, Tanzania.

At the time, he had just handed over the chairmanship of the EAC to Burundi President Evariste Ndayishimiye, whose role is to oversee the implementation of the Nairobi process aimed at restoring peace. By Mate Tongola, The Standard