Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye visited Kinshasa on Sunday for a high-level meeting with his Congolese counterpart, President Félix Tshisekedi. The visit comes just days ahead of a regional summit on peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), scheduled to take place in Kampala, Uganda.
Ndayishimiye currently chairs the Regional Oversight Mechanism of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the DRC and the Region( “Mécanisme régional de suivi de l’Accord-cadre pour la paix, la sécurité et la coopération pour la RDC et la region”). According to his office, the visit to Kinshasa was part of consultations before officially handing over leadership of the mechanism at Wednesday’s summit in Kampala.
The office of the DRC presidency described the meeting as a reflection of the “strong and friendly relations” between the two leaders, emphasizing their shared interest in peace and cooperation for the benefit of both countries.
Burundi has in recent months taken an increasingly active role in regional security efforts, including deploying troops to eastern DRC. These forces have been assisting Congolese troops in combating armed rebel groups, particularly M23.
However, in an interview with the BBC in March, President Ndayishimiye distanced his country from responsibility for the continued advances of M23, saying: “The fact that M23 continues to capture new territories should not be blamed on us.
