Politics African states discuss conflict in eastern Congo
A special summit of African states on the conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo has begun in the Tanzanian coastal metropolis of Dar es Salaam.
07.02.2025, 13:41
SDA
The consultations, initially at ministerial level, will seek a common way to combat insecurity in the resource-rich eastern Congo and achieve regional stability, the Secretariat of the East African Community (EAC) wrote on Friday on Platform X about the joint meeting of the community of states.
Discussions will continue at the level of heads of state and government on Saturday, when the representatives of the affected states are expected to meet with Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
The situation in resource-rich eastern Congo escalated at the end of January when the M23 militia attacked the megacity of Goma and captured it after a few days. The militia has controlled large parts of the province of North Kivu, whose capital is Goma, for years. In the meantime, despite a self-declared ceasefire, it has attacked further towns in the neighboring province of South Kivu.
The Congolese government in Kinshasa accuses neighboring Rwanda of supporting the M23. UN experts assume that at least 4,000 Rwandan soldiers are fighting alongside the M23 in Congo. More recent estimates put the figure even higher. Rwanda, for its part, speaks of protecting its territorial security and the Tutsi ethnic group in the Congo.
Tshisekedi's spokesperson told the UN-run radio station "Radio Okapi" on Friday that Congo expects an immediate ceasefire from the summit, a clear condemnation of the aggression, a withdrawal of Rwandan troops and the handover of the city of Goma to the official administration.
