Talks are under way among leaders of African countries to end fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which has forced thousands of people to leave their homes and threatens to bring down its elected government.
Paul Kagame, president of neighbouring Rwanda, whose government is accused of backing the M23 rebels, is there, along with other leaders from eastern and southern Africa.
Leaders from the East African Community bloc, which includes both Rwanda and Congo, and those from the Southern African Development Community, or SADC, are taking part in the talks, which began in the Tanzanian capital, Dar es Salaam, on Friday.
Why is there fighting in DRC?
Rwandan President Paul Kagame. Pic: Reuters
Displaced Congolese cooking at a school after Goma was taken by the M23 rebels. Pic Reuters
Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi is attending virtually.
Around 3,000 people have been killed in the fighting between rebels and government forces, the UN said on Wednesday, while thousands more have been displaced by the violence.
M23, or the March 23 Movement, seized Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo, after three days of fierce battles with Congolese forces – the worst escalation of fighting in more than a decade.
Despite announcing a unilateral ceasefire, they have continued to move south towards the city of Bukavu.
Its rebellion is driven partly by Rwandan concerns that rebels opposed to Mr Kagame’s regime have been allowed to be active in largely lawless parts of eastern Congo by the much larger country’s military.
The Rwandan president has accused his Congolese counterpart of ignoring the legitimate concerns of DRC’s Tutsis who face discrimination.
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighbouring countries
Fighting has centred on the North Kivu province, where M23 is mostly active and which borders both Uganda and Rwanda.
Also known as the Congolese Revolutionary Army, M23 is a Congolese Tutsi-led rebel military group based in mineral-rich eastern parts of the DRC.
Congo has deployed SADC peacekeepers, but Rwanda has claimed the troops are making the situation in North Kivu worse.
A displaced family in Goma. File pic: AP
Mr Kagame has said using SADC troops in eastern Congo cannot be called a peaceful effort as they are fighting alongside Congolese forces against the M23 militia.
Some 4,000 Rwandan troops are supporting M23 rebels in North Kivu, according to the UN.
Kenyan President William Ruto, in his opening remarks, told delegates “the lives of millions” were hanging on their ability to solve a “complex and challenging situation with wisdom, clarity of mind, empathy”.
“Dialogue is not a sign of weakness,” he said.
“We must encourage all parties to put aside their differences and mobilise for engagements in constructive dialogue.”
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Mr Tshisekedi has previously rejected calls for direct talks with M23. His government sees the group as a Rwandan proxy army trying to exploit eastern Congo’s natural resources.
