By making populist statements to appease the Kinshasa, EU is only aggravates the conflict by meddling in an ongoing peace process

It has been reported that during the inauguration ceremony of the new Palace of Justice in Goma, funded by the European Union, the EU Ambassador to the DRC, Jean-Marc Châtaigner, in what he said was the position of the EU, ‘demanded’ that the M23 should lay down their arms and “urged” Rwanda to stop supporting the M23 rebellion.

This is a dangerous discourse by the EU considering that they are supposedly proponents and stakeholders of the regional peace framework for the eastern DRC spearheaded by the East African Community.

For the Ambassador to go around events in DRC making statements tailored to appease the Kinshasa regime will only serve to counter efforts and milestones achieved by the East African Community Regional Force so far.

As stakeholders of the ongoing peace process, the EU should be in a better position to understand that the least they can do is support the efforts of the regional leaders instead of fanning the fires of conflict.