President Salva Kiir waves as he boards Ethiopian Airlines plane at Juba International Airport, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024, on his way to Uganda for NAM Summit in Kampala - Credit: PPU

President Salva Kiir is expected to travel to the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, as part of his peace mission to quell the conflict between the DRC and Rwanda.

This is according to Michael Makuei Lueth, the information minister and official government spokesperson.

During the Council of Ministers meeting on Friday, the Minister of Presidential Affairs, Bangasi Joseph Bakosoro presented to the cabinet a report on the visit of President Salva Kiir to Rwanda and Burundi.

Speaking to reporters, Makuei said Kiir’s visit is intended to diffuse tension between DRC and neighboring Rwanda.

“The objective of this visit is to close the gaps because there was tension between these countries,” he said.

“In his capacity as the chairman of the East African Community, the President went there in order to reduce these tensions and to be in contacts with the heads of states of these countries.”

“He is expected to visit DRC anytime time because DRC is also party to this tripartite conflict. So, the briefing was a deliberated upon and passed by the cabinet.”

Minister Makuei said President Kiir “managed to bring the situation down and control the situation”.

However, the situation in the eastern DRC appears to be escalating as M23 rebels seized more territory on Thursday amid a three-day fighting that forced hundreds to flee their homes, according to AFP.

President Salva Kiir last month travelled to Rwanda and Burundi to meet his counterparts Paul Kagame and Evariste Ndayshimiye in a bid to deescalate tension between member states in East African region.

The visit emphasized on the need to implement the EAC-led Nairobi and Luanda peace process to avert the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo “which risks spilling over to neighboring partner states.”

At the Ordinary summit of the African Union in Ethiopia capital, Addis Ababa, President Salva Kiir also appealed to Somalia and Ethiopia as well as Rwanda and Dr Congo to seek amicable solution to disputes between the countries.