On February 24th, the Addis Ababa Framework Agreement will mark 10 years since its signature by 11 states and four international and regional institutions including the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU), the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). An agreement that deals with peace, security, and cooperation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the region.

Unfortunately, this peace agreement has not changed anything; moreover, 10 years later, the security situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo remains unchanged, or worse, it has deteriorated due to the same threats.

Regarding this, the President of Burundi, Evariste Ndayishimiye, was received on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, in the evening at the African Union (AU) City by his Congolese counterpart, Félix Antoine Tshisekedi. The Burundian President was there to conduct "consultations in his capacity as president of the Follow-up Mechanism of the Framework Agreement for Peace, Security and Cooperation for the DRC and the Region, according to a document signed by Gatoni Rosine, spokesperson for the presidency.

However, today's meeting takes place at a time when tensions are rising between the three presidents, namely: Evariste Ndayishimiye, Paul Kagame, and Félix Tshisekedi, who accuse each other of supporting armed groups to destabilize the other. That is to say, Ndayishimiye rails against Paul Kagame, accusing him of supporting Red Tabara (Resistance for the Rule of Law in Burundi), Félix Tshisekedi, for his part, accuses Paul Kagame of being behind the M23 rebels causing desolation in the eastern part of his country, while Paul Kagame, in turn, accuses Félix Tshilombo of supporting and cooperating with the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda) in order to destabilize his country.

Gisèle Mbuyi