President William Ruto, chair of the East African Community Heads of State Summit, has called an urgent meeting to address the escalating war in eastern Congo.
“Noting the worsening humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by ongoing military actions, including the closure of airspace in Goma, I call for the immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities,” the Kenyan leader said in a statement on Sunday.
“Having consulted with the heads of state of the region, on this dire situation, we will be convening an extraordinary EAC Summit within the next 48 hours to deliberate on this crisis and chart a way forward. This is in line with the EAC Summit’s decision of November 2024, which called for constructive engagement to address the conflict. I thank both President Tsishekedi and President Kagame for their confirmed participation in this summit.”
Ruto’s move comes amid M23 claims of capture of Goma, the capital of North Kivu, sparking a massive wave of displaced populations.
Ruto emphasised the obligation of all parties to facilitate humanitarian access to affected populations and urge both sides to pursue peaceful means to resolve this tragic conflict.
“These alarming developments, coupled with rising diplomatic tensions in the region, underscore the urgent need for a peaceful resolution to a conflict that continues to inflict untold suffering on the people, particularly women and children,” he said.
Gunfire continued to ring out near the airport, city centre and border with Rwanda, with residents reporting ongoing clashes between government-aligned militia and M23 fighters.
Congolese and Rwandan armies have been firing at each other across their shared border in the eastern Congolese city ofGoma, where Rwandan-backed rebels launched an offensive, two United Nations sources told Reuters on Monday.
The United Nations Security Council on Sunday demanded that M23 stop the ongoing offensive on Goma, and that "external forces" in the region immediately withdraw.
The 15-member UN Security Council met earlier on Sunday to discuss the crisis and then quickly agreed on a lengthy statement.
The council urged Rwanda and the DRC to return to talks to achieve peace and address issues related to the presence of Rwanda Defence Forces in the eastern Congo and Congolese support for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
M23 vows to defend Tutsi interests, particularly against ethnic Hutu militias such as the FDLR, which was founded by Hutus who fled Rwanda after participating in the 1994 genocide.
At the council meeting on Sunday, the United States, France and Britain condemned what they said was Rwanda's backing of the M23 rebel advance. Kigali has long denied supporting M23.
In its statement, the Security Council "condemned the ongoing flagrant disregard for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC, including the unauthorized presence in the Eastern DRC of external forces".
Acting US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea specifically called out Rwanda for using GPS jamming and spoofing, which was also reflected in the council statement.
"The members of the Security Council are also deeply alarmed by continued occurrences of GPS jamming and spoofing activities in support of M23 operations in North Kivu, which represent imminent risk to civil aviation safety and negatively impact the delivery of humanitarian assistance to populations in need," the Security Council said.
On Monday, France Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, speaking as he arrived at the Council of European Foreign Ministers in Brussels, condemned the “actions by Rwanda” and expressed solidarity with the DRC.
On Sunday, Congolese Foreign minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner urged the UN Security Council to impose targeted sanctions “including asset freezes and travel bans, not only against identified members of the chain of command of the Rwandan armed forces, but also against the political decision-makers responsible for this aggression.”
She further urged a “total embargo on exports of all minerals labelled as Rwandan, in particular coltan and gold”.
Jean-Pierre LaCroix, UN Under-Secretary for Operations, urged the Security Council to provide "a firm response" to "find a lasting solution to the current crisis".
"It is imperative that the M23 cease hostilities immediately, and withdraw from the occupied territories. The violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC constitutes a breach of the fundamental principles of international law and the United Nations Charter," LaCroix said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was equally firm, expressing "deep concern at the escalation of violence in eastern DRC". He also "strongly condemned the offensive by the M23, supported by Rwandan forces, and its advance towards Goma".
Head of the peacekeeping mission in the DRC (Monusco), Bintou Keita urged the UN Security Council to act to protect civilians, humanitarian workers and UN personnel. In the fighting of the last two years, Monusco has lost three soldiers in battles to prevent the M23 from advancing towards Goma.
Ms Shea “Rwanda's use of sophisticated weaponry and systems was interfering with the humanitarian response.
“These actions must stop immediately,” she said.
Following the deterioration of the security situation around Goma, the UN peacekeeping mission has relocated its non-essential personnel from the city, such as administrative staff and others who can continue to carry out their duties from another location.
Without water or electricity, the city of Goma is at a standstill, with shops closed. War-displaced people, who had taken refuge in Goma after fleeing other localities, find themselves in a vice. Nearly 300,000 of them arrived in Goma recently, having fled from other areas.
“The proximity of the fighting in densely populated areas and the use of heavy artillery are exposing civilian populations to intolerable risks,”said Bruno Lemarquis, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in DR Congo.
But Kinshasa remains upbeat with army spokesman Gen Sylvain Ekenge, saying, "The war has just begun!”
