DR Congo: East and southern African leaders urge immediate ceasefire after summit

The DR Congo’s President, Félix Tshisekedi, opted to appear at the summit via video link. Prime Minister Judith Suminwa was there in person.

There was no immediate response from Suminwa or the Congolese delegation to the joint communique.

Kenyan President William Ruto, the current EAC chairperson, stressed military solutions alone could not resolve the crisis.

“We must resist the temptation to think that we can somehow shoot or bombard our way into a solution in the face of such a complex situation,” he said.

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan underscored a “collective responsibility” of regional leaders to end the conflict, saying “history will judge us harshly if we remain still and watch the situation worsen day by day”.

The ongoing conflict dates back to the 1990s, but has rapidly escalated in recent weeks.

The DR Congo is so vast – two-thirds the size of Western Europe – that it is a member of both the East and Southern African blocs.