UN Chief Calls for Immediate De-escalation of Tension in DRC

(3 Minutes Read)

With international pressure mounting on Rwanda to curb the fighting in eastern DRC, the conflict was set to dominate the summit at AU headquarters in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that a regional escalation of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) must be avoided at all costs. He was speaking at the African Union Meeting.

The AU’s 55 members are meeting as the Rwanda-backed M23 fighters continue their advance in the eastern DRC, on Friday claiming to have entered the region’s second-largest city, Bukavu. In recent weeks, M23 rebels have captured swathes of the DRC’s mineral-rich eastern region, including the key city of Goma, capital of North Kivu province.

With international pressure mounting on Rwanda to curb the fighting in eastern DRC, the conflict was set to dominate the summit at AU headquarters in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

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DRC’s President Félix Tshisekedi continues to plead with the international community to intervene to contain the rebels and blacklist Rwanda for backing them. He did not attend the gathering, but Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame was seen attending meetings at the summit. Rwanda has not admitted to backing the M23 but has accused extremist Hutu groups in the eastern DRC of threatening its security.