Congolese, Rwandan presidents to attend 2-day summit on Goma

- Extraordinary summit later this week in Dar es Salaam to bring together heads of state from East African Community, Southern African Development Community, says Kenyan President Ruto

NAIROBI, Kenya

Congolese and Rwandan presidents Felix Tshisekedi and Paul Kagame, respectively, the two main leaders in the escalating conflict in eastern Congo, will attend an extraordinary summit in the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam to address the armed conflict, Kenyan President William Ruto announced on Monday.

Earlier, Congolese officials declined to engage with Kagame during an East African Community summit, citing allegations that Rwanda supports M23 rebels.

The extraordinary summit, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, will bring together heads of state from the 6-member East African Community (EAC) and the 16-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) to discuss regional security and diplomatic interventions.

The meeting follows an agreement reached by SADC Chairperson and Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, as well as EAC Chairperson and Kenyan President William Ruto.

“President Samia Suluhu Hassan has graciously agreed to host the summit to deliberate on the situation in Eastern DRC,” Ruto said in a statement released by the presidency.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is also expected to attend, as are Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

The summit comes as the situation in eastern Congo worsens, with intensified fighting between M23 rebels and the Congolese army, forcing thousands to flee and raising concerns about regional security and humanitarian aid.

The conflict has led to significant casualties and displacement, with the UN reporting at least 700 deaths and 2,800 injuries over five days. Additionally, at least 20 peacekeepers have been killed, including 14 from South Africa.

Amid the unrest, residents in Goma are experiencing disruptions to social media platforms such as X and TikTok.

The Higher Council of Audiovisual and Communication in Congo has stated that it lacks information regarding the cause of these disruptions.