After being launched by the Heads of State of the East African Community (EAC) on Monday, the work of Nairobi III for dialogue between Congolese was to begin on Tuesday 29 November in the Kenyan capital. But discussions finally begin on Wednesday due to the late arrival of some participants.
With our correspondent in Nairobi, Albane Thirouard
During the first Nairobi process last April, the M23 was invited then excluded from the dialogue. This time the rebel group was not invited. More than forty armed groups from the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo are nevertheless represented in Nairobi, as well as around a hundred delegates from civil society.
Work could not start on time because more than 80 representatives of armed groups and civil society from the provinces of Maniema, North Kivu and South Kivu did not land in Nairobi until Tuesday, mid -daytime. The Kinshasa delegation had partially arrived.
► Read also : DRC: resumption of inter-Congolese talks in Nairobi under the aegis of the EAC
Develop a roadmap for disarmament
A first facilitation session still took place at the end of the day on Tuesday, but the discussions should really start on Wednesday. The delegates present will be divided into working groups, by province. In addition to the cessation of hostilities, one of the objectives is to come up with a roadmap for the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Program for Former Combatants (P-DDRCS).
The complete list of participants is not yet made public. For Ituri, three armed groups are present: the Patriotic Resistance Force of Ituri (FRPI), the Patriotic and Integrationist Front of Congo (FPIC) and finally the Cooperative for the Development of Congo, Codeco. The latter, one of the most deadly militias in the province, threatened yesterday morning to leave the dialogue, denouncing attacks on its troops.
These discussions should officially last until Saturday, December 3, but the organization is already talking about an extension.