East African leaders called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and urged the Kinshasa government to engage directly with all stakeholders, including the M23 rebel group, to resolve the escalating conflict.

It was resolved at a special virtual summit of the East African Community (EAC) hosted by Kenya and attended by Rwandan President Paul Kagame but skipped by his Congolese counterpart Felix Tshisekedi.

The 24th EAC leaders’ summit expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in the Congolese city of Goma, which has led to a significant loss of life and a worsening humanitarian crisis.

“The summit called on all parties to the conflict in eastern DRC to cease hostilities and observe an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and facilitate humanitarian access to the affected population,” the leaders stated in their communique.

Congo's President Tshisekedi instead flew to Angola for talks with his counterpart Joao Lourenco as the EAC heads of state met virtually over the security situation in Goma.

The summit also condemned attacks on diplomatic missions in Kinshasa, urging the Congolese government to ensure the protection of embassies, diplomatic staff, and property.

Acknowledging the role of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in addressing the crisis, the EAC heads of state agreed to hold a joint summit with SADC leaders in the coming days.

European mercenaries to be deported via Rwanda

Nearly 300 European mercenaries who were allegedly fighting in Congo were set to be deported to their countries of origin through neighboring Rwanda.

The group of 280, mostly from Romania, secured safe passage after their governments asked Rwanda to facilitate their evacuation through Kigali, Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe said in a post on X.

Kagame also accused South African officials, including President Cyril Ramaphosa, of distorting their recent discussions on the conflict in eastern Congo.

“What has been said about these conversations in the media by South African officials and President Ramaphosa himself contains a lot of distortion, deliberate attacks, and even lies,” he said.

Kagame also rejected the presence of the Southern African Development Community Mission in Congo, arguing that it is not a peacekeeping force but a “belligerent force engaging in offensive combat operations to help the DRC government fight against its own people.”

"If South Africa wants to contribute to peaceful solutions, that is well and good. ... And if South Africa prefers confrontation, Rwanda will deal with the matter in that context any day," the Rwandan president warned.

Earlier, South African Defense Minister Angie Motshekga said on Wednesday that Ramaphosa told Kagame in a phone call: “if you’re going to fire, take it as a declaration of war, and we’d have to defend our people.”

South Africa concerned about fully blown war

Responding to a reporter’s question at a media briefing Wednesday in the capital Pretoria, South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola expressed concern that if the ongoing conflict in eastern Congo is not addressed, a possibility exists of a fully blown regional war.

Lamola said it is for this reason that there is the need for tripartite engagement on the matter with institutions such as the African Union, the Southern African Development Community, and the East African Community intervening in the crisis so as to reach a process of a ceasefire and a long-term solution to the conflict.

The M23 rebels, allegedly backed by Rwanda, claimed control of Goma on Monday, but residents said the strategic city still appeared to be under the control of both the rebels and government forces.

President Kagame has frequently denied claims that Rwanda supports the rebels.

Kinshasa has said that Rwandan troops were present in Goma and vowed to secure the city.

It remains unclear who controls the critical border city with Rwanda.

The M23 group claims that its fight is driven by grievances about alleged discrimination against Tutsi communities in the region. They claim that the Congolese government has not addressed their concerns, particularly about their safety and integration into the national military.

The Congolese government, on the other hand, accuses the M23 of destabilizing the region with external support, primarily from neighboring Rwanda.

The latest crisis has displaced thousands, many of whom have fled to Rwanda, including staff of international organizations like the UN and World Bank.

* James Tasamba in Kigali, Hasan Isilow in Johannesburg, and Mevlut Ozkan in Istanbul contributed to this story.