Stella Pinewood
Burundi hosted a summit of the East African Community on Saturday, leading to the call.
All sides in the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have been urged to cease fire immediately by East African regional leaders. The government accuses Rwanda of supporting a rebel group in this conflict.
A communique issued at the end of the meeting in Burundi’s capital Bujumbura on Saturday urged all parties to halt hostilities immediately.
During the summit, all parties were encouraged to de-escalate tensions, according to the communiqué.
In an onslaught that has threatened the provincial capital, Goma, M23 has gained control of large areas of eastern DRC’s North Kivu province.
As a result of the conflict, regional tensions have been stoked, as Rwanda is accused by the DRC of sponsoring and supporting the Tutsi rebellion. Rwanda has also been accused of supporting M23 by the United Nations and Western powers. Rwanda is not implicated.
At least 520,000 people have been displaced from North Kivu since March 2022 as a result of the conflict, which led to Saturday’s meeting.
The Pope visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo earlier this week and urged an end to violence.
A November agreement had been forged under which the rebels were supposed to cease fire and withdraw by January 15. In spite of this, no withdrawal took place.
Rebels violated ceasefire and withdrawal terms, according to a UN internal report.
In addition to Rwanda’s chief of state, the DRC’s president, Uganda’s president, Kenya’s president, Tanzania’s president and Burundi’s president attended the summit on Saturday.
They also demanded that all foreign forces leave the DRC, along with foreign groups. Regional military chiefs were to set a deadline for withdrawal within a week.
A newly constructed road and the town of Kitshanga from Masisi territory were taken over on January 27 by M23 rebels, further isolating the provincial capital Goma.
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Source: Aljazeera
