EACRF commander says he's open to new ideas

This comes amid hostility the force has faced in the conflict-stricken country, as pressure to launch offensive against the M23 group sustains.

Major General Kiugu took up his new role on Thursday as the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) boss with a welcome parade at the force’s headquarters in Goma, North Kivu province.

It was almost a month after his appointment by President William Ruto to replace Major General Jeff Nyagah who was recalled to Nairobi and deployed to oversee the western command.

His appointment was not without contestation, as Kinshasa protested that Kenya acted unilaterally without consultation.

Democratic Republic of Congo's President Felix Tshesikedi had complained that the force was not fighting the M23 and had postured itself as a peacekeeping entity in contravention of the status of the force agreement.

He said the stay of the force in his country would be subject to “satisfactory outcome” and that will be determined by the end of June.

The former force commander had resisted the pressure of going on offensive against armed groups, insisting that he was not in Congo to fight but to ensure peace and stability.

But on Thursday the new commander said though he will follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, he was open to new ideas and possibly change course.

“I am coming to pick from where Maj Gen Jeff Nyagah left and according to my assessment, you have done well,” Kiugu said.

“However, there are certainly lessons that we can learn from past experience that can enable us to improve towards achievement of the desired end state."

“I believe in cooperation and teamwork and I want to remind each one of us that we are one people of EAC with a common objective of enabling the citizens of Eastern DRC that are affected by insecurity to realise peace," he added.

The force has been operating in an environment that has largely been hostile as the public became impatient with its approach. The insecurity and poverty made the pressure even worse.

Civil society groups and local media outlets have been accused of driving a negative campaign.

To deal with this, Kiugu said he will cooperate with various stakeholders to ensure peace is realised.

“We shall continue cooperating and collaborating with all stakeholders operating in the region, including the various civil society entities, so that we can leverage on each others' efforts and ideas,” he said.

The commander also vowed to sustain the successes of the force that has seen relative peace experienced in the region and the withdrawal of the M23 forces from the areas they occupy to cantonment areas.

The new commander is not new to military leadership and foreign missions.

He served with Monusco in Eastern DRC at the start of the last decade as a disarmament, demobilisation, reintegration and repatriation officer.

Kiugu has also served as Defence Liason Officer in Kenya’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, New York.

Major General Kiugu was received at the force headquarters by the Deputy Force Commander (DFC) in charge of intelligence and operations Brigadier General Emmanuel Kaputa, his deputy in charge of administration and logistics Brigadier General Ndorarigonya Gregoire, Chief of Staff Brigadier General Michael Kibuye, Contingent Commanders and other Force Headquarters Staff Officers.