The Kenya Defense Force (KDF) advance team that had been deployed to the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC) has withdrawn and returned home. The withdrawal of the Kenyan troops is the first step in the collapse of the East African Regional Force deployment to DRC to fight ISCAP and other rebel groups.
According to intelligence, the troops withdrew and returned home which contradicts a recent communique from the DRC side that indicated that the Kenyan contingent was projected to be in charge of a hot zone in Bunagana, near the border with Uganda.
One of the greatest challenges faced by the regional force is funding. Most of the EAC nations are in no position to take on the financial and logistical burden that comes with deploying a sizeable contingent indefinitely. While the mission was well-intentioned, the funding for the mission is lacking, and as it stands the only troops currently deployed in DRC is the Kenyan contingent of QRF of the MONUSCO mission.
The seeming disengagement of the KDF from the EAC regional force is a major blow to conceptualizing a force that can be deployed to the member nations to deal with crises and uprisings when need be. It is not surprising that the M23 militants resumed hostilities in Rutshuru territory over the weekend shortly after the departure of the troops and delayed response from the UPDF and Congolese troops deployed in Beni.
