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The Nairobian

What Ruto discussed with US State Secretary Rubio

National

By Sharon Wanga | Feb 07, 2025

President William Ruto on Thursday evening held a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, discussing bilateral relations and security issues across eastern Africa.

The two leaders spoke extensively on the Kenya-led Haiti security mission, and the escalating situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

“Our discussion confirmed that the United States has specifically exempted its support for the Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission in Haiti from the broader pause on federal assistance, recognizing the critical need to sustain momentum for the mission and its role in stabilising Haiti and restoring order,” said Ruto.

Rubio reiterated that despite concerns over the US aid freeze, support for the security mission in Haiti remains intact.

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“The mission needs to find a new direction to be successful at rooting out armed groups that today have taken possession of a large portion of Haitian territory," said Rubio.

DRC Crisis

Ruto and Rubio also discussed regional security concerns in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the upcoming joint meeting between the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC), taking place today and tomorrow in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Both DRC President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame have confirmed attendance at the meeting.

At an EAC meeting last week, chaired by Ruto, Tshisekedi was notably absent.

For the past two weeks, the DRC has faced escalating violence from M23 rebel groups, which Kinshasa alleges are backed by Rwanda—an accusation Kigali denies.

Rwanda, in turn, claims the DRC harbors the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), an armed group formed by former Hutu leaders responsible for the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.