Africa calls for ceasefire and lasting solution for DR Congo

African leaders on December 8 called for an immediate ceasefire in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, while supporting the search for a lasting solution to the ongoing conflict.

M23 rebels and people of the Democratic Republic of Congo at Unity Stadium in Goma on February 6, 2025. (Source: THX)

A historic summit of two major regional blocs, the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), met in the Tanzanian port city of Dar es Salaam and called for an "immediate and unconditional ceasefire" and "cessation of hostilities" in eastern DR Congo.

In a joint statement, the conference proposed the return of the dead and wounded to their homes, the reopening of main roads and Goma airport, as well as direct negotiations between Kinshasa and the M23 rebel group as part of this process.

The leaders attending the Summit also directed the chiefs of staff of the member countries of the two organizations to meet within the next five days to work out technical measures to implement the ceasefire and draw up a security plan for the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The joint statement said that political and diplomatic engagement is the most sustainable solution to the conflict in eastern DRC. Regional leaders expressed support for the resumption of direct negotiations with all state and non-state actors, including M23, under the existing regional reconciliation framework.

On the same day, Ugandan Foreign Minister Henry Okello Oryem said the bodies of 18 soldiers from other African countries killed in the conflict in eastern DR Congo had been transferred to Uganda for autopsies.

Mr Oryem said the bodies of the soldiers from the Southern African Development Community Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC) were transported by road and taken to the Mulago National Referral Hospital morgue in Kampala for post-mortem examinations. The remains of the 13 South African, three Malawian and two Tanzanian soldiers who died will be processed and repatriated to their countries after post-mortem examinations.

The soldiers who died were part of the SAMIDRC force, deployed to support and assist the Democratic Republic of Congo in restoring peace, security and stability. They died late last month after M23 rebels launched hostilities and seized Goma, the capital of North Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/chau-phi-keu-goi-ngung-ban-va-tim-giai-phap-lau-dai-cho-chdc-congo-303690.html