UN chief Antonio Guterres on Saturday demanded that the Democratic Republic of Congo’s “territorial integrity” be respected and a regional war avoided, at an African summit the day after Rwandan-backed fighters seized a second DRC provincial capital.
With international pressure mounting on Rwanda to curb the fighting in eastern DR Congo (DRC), the conflict was set to dominate the African Union summit as it opened in Addis Ababa.
Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame was seen attending meetings at the gathering, but DR Congo’s president Felix Tshisekedi was absent from the summit as the M23 advanced through his country’s territory.
Having routed the Congolese army to capture the key provincial capital of Goma in North Kivu last month, the Rwandan-backed armed group pushed into neighboring South Kivu.
It took a vital airport there before marching virtually unchecked into another key city, Bukavu, on Friday, security and humanitarian sources said.
“The fighting that is raging in South Kivu — as a result of the continuation of the M23 offensive — threatens to push the entire region over the precipice,” Guterres told leaders in an address to the summit, without mentioning Rwanda.
“Regional escalation must be avoided at all costs. There is no military solution,” he added.
“The dialogue must begin. And the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC must be respected.”
With the spectre of a regional conflagration rising in eastern DRC, the AU has been criticized for its timid approach and observers have demanded more decisive action.
The European Union on Saturday said that it was “urgently” considering all options following the news from Bukavu.
REF: AFP
