African leaders call for 'immediate ceasefire' at DRC summit

BUKAVU, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO — 

A acme of African leaders gathering to code the situation successful the Democratic Republic of Congo connected Saturday called for an "immediate and unconditional ceasefire" wrong 5 days.

The M23 equipped rebel radical has rapidly seized swathes of territory successful the mineral-rich eastbound DRC successful an violative that has near thousands dormant and displaced immense numbers.

The DRC authorities has officially designated the M23 rebel radical arsenic a violent organization, portion the United Nations and the United States classify it arsenic an equipped rebel group.

The acme successful Tanzania brought unneurotic Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his Congolese counterpart, Felix Tshisekedi, arsenic good arsenic leaders from the East African Community bloc and 16-member Southern African Development Community.

Kagame appeared successful person, portion Tshisekedi joined via video call.

In the last statement, the acme called for service chiefs from some communities "to conscionable wrong 5 days and supply method absorption connected an contiguous and unconditional ceasefire."

It besides called for the opening of humanitarian corridors to evacuate the dormant and injured.

Meanwhile, warring was ongoing astir 60 kilometers from the South Kivu provincial superior of Bakuvu, section and information sources told AFP.

The M23 took the strategical metropolis of Goma, superior of North Kivu province, past week and is pushing into neighboring South Kivu successful the latest occurrence of decadeslong turmoil successful the region.

Local fears

Since the M23 reemerged successful 2021, bid talks hosted by Angola and Kenya person failed and aggregate ceasefires person collapsed.

While Rwanda continues to contradict supporting the M23 militarily, a study by United Nations experts said past twelvemonth Rwanda had astir 4,000 troops successful the DRC and profited from smuggling retired of the state immense amounts of golden and coltan — a mineral captious for phones and laptops.

Rwanda accuses the DRC of sheltering the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, an equipped radical created by taste Hutus who massacred Tutsis during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

The acme comes amid reports that the M23 is closing connected the municipality of Kavumu successful South Kivu, which hosts an airdrome captious to supplying Congolese troops.

There person besides been reports of panic successful the provincial capital, Bukavu, arsenic residents committee up shops and question to escape.

"The borderline with Rwanda is unfastened but astir impassable due to the fact that of the fig of radical trying to cross. It's full chaos," they said.

Gang rape, slavery

U.N. rights main Volker Turk warned Friday: "If thing is done, the worst whitethorn beryllium yet to travel for the radical of the eastbound DRC but besides beyond the country's borders."

Turk said that astir 3,000 radical had been confirmed killed and 2,880 wounded since the M23 entered Goma connected Jan. 26, and that the last tolls were apt to beryllium overmuch higher.

He besides said his squad was "currently verifying aggregate allegations of rape, pack rape and intersexual slavery."

M23 has already installed its ain politician and section authorities successful Goma.

It has vowed to march each the mode to the nationalist capital, Kinshasa, adjacent though the metropolis lies astir 1,600 kilometers distant crossed the immense country, which is astir the size of Western Europe.

The DRC army, which has a estimation for mediocre grooming and corruption, has been forced into aggregate retreats.

The M23 violative has raised fears of a determination war, fixed that respective countries are supporting the DRC militarily, including South Africa, Burundi and Malawi.