Composed of about 40 military personnel, the first South Sudanese contingent, transported by the Kenyan army plane, will be deployed around Goma for peacekeeping operations.

"As of this Sunday and during the coming week, we begin the deployment of our colleagues from South Sudan who will join the other colleagues already deployed on the ground," Emmanuel Kaputa, deputy commander of the EAC regional force, declared at the Goma airport.

This deployment came a few days after the deployment of nearly 1,000 Ugandan soldiers in the territory of Rutshuru of North Kivu.

South Sudan is, therefore, the fourth country to officially join the EAC regional force aimed at ending the violence in eastern DRC, after Kenya, Burundi and Uganda.

In 2022, the EAC countries set up a regional force to intervene in eastern DRC, in particular, to stem the advance of the March 23 Movement rebel group.

This photo taken on April 2, 2023 shows soldiers of South Sudan at the Goma airport in east Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The first contingent of South Sudan's army arrived Sunday in Goma, capital of North Kivu Province in east DRC, under the mandate of the regional force of the East African Community (EAC). (Xinhua/Alain Uaykani)

This photo taken on April 2, 2023 shows soldiers of South Sudan at the Goma airport in east Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The first contingent of South Sudan's army arrived Sunday in Goma, capital of North Kivu Province in east DRC, under the mandate of the regional force of the East African Community (EAC). (Xinhua/Alain Uaykani)