President William Ruto on Monday, January 27 evening held discussions with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the situation in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

President Macron called President Ruto, who is also the Chair of the East African Community (EAC), and expressed support for regional efforts to address hostilities in Eastern DRC.

He also committed his country’s support for the interventions being carried out to end the conflict, and for Kenya’s participation in other peace initiatives in Somalia, Sudan, and South Sudan.

Emergency meetings

This comes at the backdrop of today’s emergency ministerial meeting by the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council on the current escalation of the conflict in Eastern DRC. The meeting will see a presentation on the recent developments and the current escalation of the conflict.

Apart from the DRC, which is a member of the Council and will address the meeting as a country concerned, it is anticipated that Rwanda will also deliver a statement as a country concerned.

It is this meeting — scheduled for 4 pm local time — that will inform the direction of another emergency meeting called by President Ruto, in his capacity as the chair of the EAC Heads of State Summit on Wednesday, January 29.

Ruto’s move come after M23 rebel group claimed to have captured eastern DRC’s regional capital Goma, even as fighting intensifies.

Rubio telephone conversation

President Ruto also had a telephone conversation with Secretary of State Rubio on a variety of issues of mutual concern for the two countries.

On regional peace and security, Secretary Rubio praised Kenya’s efforts to promote regional stability.

They discussed the situation in the Eastern DRC and the support needed from the United States of America in ending the conflict and returning the country to normalcy.

President Ruto updated Secretary Rubio on the security situation in Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia.

“I am glad that the US has committed to continue to deploying its capabilities to support Kenya’s peace mission in the region,” he said.

They also discussed the United Nations-led Multinational Security Support mission in Haiti and agreed on a joint strategy to ensure the mission serves its purpose.

On Kenya-US economic partnership, the two leaders discussed the need to conclude the Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement, which seeks to increase investment and promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth by unlocking existing economic opportunities.