East African leaders hold summit on Congo unrest

NAIROBI: East African leaders were holding a regional summit in Burundi on Saturday to discuss ways of calming the raging conflict in eastern DR Congo.

The talks are hosted by the seven-nation East Africa Community (EAC), which is leading mediation efforts to end the fighting in the restive east of the giant central African nation.

A resurgent rebel group known as the M23 has taken swathes of land in the mineral-rich region and is still advancing despite a peace roadmap reached in the Angolan capital in July last year.

Among those at the meeting in the lakeside economic hub of Bujumbura are Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, which is accused of backing M23 in a conflict that has exacerbated regional tensions.

EAC chair and Burundi President Evariste Ndayishimiye said on Twiter the meeting would evaluate the situation with “a view of coming up with decisions that will ameliorate the security situation & facilitate the restoration of peace and security in eastern DRC.”

The Congolese presidency said the Luanda roadmap demanded the “effective and definitive withdrawal” of M23 and Rwanda Defence Force troops from occupied zones before Jan.15.

“The terrorist troops from M23 have never let these zones, on the contrary the M23 and its allies have expanded their areas of occupation,” it said on Facebook.

Kagame is on his first visit to Burundi since 2013, with relations long frayed between the Great Lakes neighbours.

The EAC meeting is taking place shortly ater a visit by Pope Francis to Kinshasa, where he met victims of the conflict and condemned the “inhumane violence” and “brutal atrocities” taking place.

The EAC decided to create a military force to pacify eastern Congo last year, with the first troops arriving in Goma in November.

The DRC’S accusations that Rwanda is backing the M23 has been supported by UN experts, the United States and other Western countries but Kigali denies the charge.