A joint summit of leaders from eastern and southern Africa is in progress in Tanzania, as African governments seek a resolution to the violent unrest in eastern Congo, where rebels are threatening to topple the Congolese government, reports AP.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame, whose administration is accused of supporting the M23 rebels—who currently control the largest city in eastern Congo—is attending the summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s commercial hub. Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi is participating virtually.
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The summit brings together leaders from the East African Community bloc, which includes both Rwanda and Congo, along with those from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), a regional alliance encompassing countries from Malawi to South Africa.
The M23 insurgency is partly driven by Rwandan concerns that rebels opposing Kagame’s administration have been allowed by Congo’s military to operate in the largely lawless areas of eastern Congo. Kagame also argues that Tshisekedi has failed to address the legitimate grievances of Congolese Tutsis, who face discrimination.
Rwanda has also criticised the deployment of SADC peacekeeping forces against M23 fighters, claiming it has escalated the conflict in North Kivu, a mineral-rich province in eastern Congo. Kagame maintains that the SADC troop presence in eastern Congo is not a peacekeeping effort, as they are actively fighting alongside Congolese forces against the M23.
United Nations experts have reported that approximately 4,000 Rwandan troops are supporting the M23 rebels in North Kivu. The rebels, in their push to seize Goma—the strategically located capital of North Kivu near the Rwandan border—successfully repelled Congolese government troops, who had been reinforced by local militias known as Wazalendo, alongside regional peacekeepers and U.N. forces.
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In his opening remarks, Kenyan President William Ruto addressed summit participants, stating that “the lives of millions depend on our ability to navigate this complex and challenging situation with wisdom, clarity of mind, and empathy.”
“Dialogue is not a sign of weakness,” Ruto, the current East African Community chair, emphasised. “It is in this spirit that we must encourage all parties to set aside their differences and engage in constructive discussions.”
Tshisekedi has previously dismissed calls for direct negotiations with the M23, viewing the group as a Rwandan proxy force intent on exploiting eastern Congo’s vast natural resources.
The M23’s advance has shattered a 2024 ceasefire, reminiscent of their takeover of Goma more than a decade ago. The rebels now claim they will govern the city, which is home to 2 million residents, including hundreds of thousands displaced from the country’s interior.
The insurgents have also vowed to push forward towards Kinshasa, the Congolese capital.