# EAC Regional Force Deployment (2022)

URL: https://allhistories.com/burundi/timeline/2022-eac-regional-force-deployment
Location: Goma, North Kivu, DR Congo
Themes: battle

In April 2022 EAC leaders agreed to create a joint force to help stabilise eastern Congo, where the M23 rebellion had revived and more than a hundred armed groups were active. Burundi, already fighting RED-Tabara inside South Kivu, was keen to give its presence a legal regional framework. In mid-August 2022 Burundi announced that its contingent was the first to enter DRC under the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF), deploying in South Kivu. In March 2023 further Burundian battalions moved into North Kivu, taking over positions around Kitshanga, Sake and the Masisi area vacated by the M23 under a regional ceasefire plan, alongside Kenyan, Ugandan and South Sudanese troops. The force soon fell out with Kinshasa, which accused it of failing to fight the M23. President Tshisekedi refused to renew its mandate and the EACRF withdrew in December 2023. Burundi, however, kept and expanded its forces under a separate bilateral pact with the Congolese army, while SADC sent its own mission, SAMIDRC, from December 2023. For Burundi the episode demonstrated both the opportunities and the risks of regional military cooperation. At this point in the timeline (2022–2023), the President of Burundi was Évariste Ndayishimiye (18 June 2020 – present). Government: the Prime Minister of Burundi was Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni (24 June 2020 – 7 September 2022).

## Why it matters
The EACRF gave Burundi's military presence in Congo regional cover and set the stage for its later direct alliance with Kinshasa.

Ruler at the Time: [Évariste Ndayishimiye](https://allhistories.com/burundi/rulers/evariste-ndayishimiye)

Prime Minister of Burundi: Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni (National Council for the Defense of Democracy – Forces for the Defense of Democracy (CNDD–FDD))

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — East African Community Regional Force](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_African_Community_Regional_Force)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica — Democratic Republic of the Congo M23](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Democratic+Republic+of+the+Congo+M23)
- [Security Council Report — DRC](https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/democratic-republic-of-the-congo/)
- [Wikipedia — The Ndayishimiye Era (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89variste_Ndayishimiye)