Principal Secretary of the State Department for Diaspora Affairs, Roseline Njogu, has announced plans to intervene following the kidnapping of a Kenyan woman by a rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Grace Wanza Munyao, a truck driver, was kidnapped by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), one of Kinshasa’s coalition forces.
According to a statement from the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC)- a political-military coalition, the rebel group kidnapped the 45-year-old on August 27 in Kiseguro town within the Binza grouping.
While speaking to The Kenya Times on Tuesday, September 3, Njogu said the state was aware of the incident and that the government is actively resolving the situation with the relevant agencies.
“We are working on the issue at the moment. That is what I can say for now,” Njogu said.
Govt is Taking Action in Grace Wanza Kidnapping
Njogu’s statement comes after Kenyans on social media alleged that calls for the government to intervene in saving Grace Munyao had fallen on deaf ears.
They claimed that the family of Munyao reported the issue to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Diaspora Affairs at the Upperhill Old Mutual building on the 28th but has not received any feedback.
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While responding to one of the users on X, Njogu acknowledged that they are “well seized and appropriate action is being taken”.
Muthama Calls on Mudavadi
Former Machakos Senator Johnson Muthama also called on Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi to intervene in the matter to bring Munyao back home.
“I am asking Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, who also serves as the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, to urgently secure the release of Grace Wanza Munyao, a Kenyan citizen and truck driver who was kidnapped by the FDLR, one of Kinshasa’s coalition forces, on August 27, 2024,” Muthama said.
AFC reported that the FDLR has violated a ceasefire agreement established among the rebel groups in Eastern DRC.
Additionally, it mentioned that the FDLR has continued to threaten local agricultural activities through kidnappings and looting, thereby spreading terror and insecurity.
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War in DRC
Fighting in Eastern DRC has escalated over the past two decades, with deadly clashes affecting residents in the provinces of South Kivu, North Kivu, and Ituri.
In December 2023, severe clashes between the military and insurgents, most notably the M23 and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), intensified, leading to the displacement of millions of people.
M23 is a primarily ethnically Tutsi rebel group with alleged ties to the Rwandan and Ugandan governments, while the ADF is an ISIS-affiliated militia group.
In March 2024, the United Nations (UN) reported that the number of internally displaced people in the DRC had reached 7.2 million.
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