African leaders to meet on DR Congo crisis

NAIROBI — Leaders from southern and eastern African countries will meet for a two-day summit starting Friday to discuss the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenyan President William Ruto said on Monday.

M23 rebels have made substantial gains in eastern DR Congo, taking the major city of Goma last week. The fall of Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province, saw deadly clashes and added to an already dire humanitarian situation.

A joint summit of the Southern African Development Community, or SADC, and the East African Community, or EAC, will be held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to address the conflict in the eastern DR Congo, Ruto said.

"(Tanzania's) President Samia Suluhu Hassan has graciously agreed to host the summit to deliberate on the situation in eastern DRC," he said.

DR Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame have confirmed their attendance at the summit, Ruto said.

Other leaders who have confirmed their participation include South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, and Somalian President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

On Jan 29, heads of state of the EAC called on all parties involved in the conflict in the eastern DR Congo to cease hostilities and observe an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, allowing displaced populations access to humanitarian services.

On Friday, SADC leaders called for dialogue among all parties to restore peace and security in the eastern DR Congo.

The bloc expressed concern that the recent attacks continue to worsen the security and humanitarian situation in DR Congo, according to a communique issued at a SADC summit held in Harare, capital of Zimbabwe.

On Monday, the Eastern Congo rebel alliance, which includes the M23, declared a unilateral cease-fire for humanitarian reasons starting Tuesday, following calls for a safe corridor for aid and hundreds of thousands of displaced people.

The alliance added that it had no intention of capturing Bukavu, South Kivu's provincial capital, after it seized Goma.

The announcement came shortly after the World Health Organization said at least 900 people were killed in last week's fighting in Goma.

Xinhua - Agencies