African leaders move to end DR Congo conflict

History will judge leaders in Africa who fail to end the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania warned her counterparts at the start of an emergency summit on the weekend.

"For the last couple of weeks, we have witnessed the spread of violence that has caused massive harm to human life, massive displacement and insecurity which affected economic activities and disrupted cross-border trade," Hassan said.

The East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) convened a brief joint summit in Tanzania on February 8 as the conflict escalated. 

Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi did not join the meeting in person, but appeared via video link. Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, William Ruto of Kenya and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda were among those who traveled to Dar es Salaam.

Leaders want ceasefire, dialogue and peace roadmap

Tshisekedi and Kagame, who is accused of fueling the conflict, did not deliver speeches. Mnangagwa and Ruto spoke only briefly as chairpersons of the EAC and SADC respectively. 

A few hours after the talks opened, the two blocs issued a joint statement in which the leaders said they had asked security chiefs to provide a roadmap towards peace. 

"The joint summit directed the EAC and SADC chiefs of defence forces to meet within five days and provide technical direction on immediate and unconditional ceasefire and cessation of hostilities," it read.

Mnangagwa, the chairperson of SADC, and Ruto both said the conflict could not be resolved by military means. "The leaders also called for resumption of all forms of dialogue to end the crisis," according to the joint statement.

Rwanda army told to 'disengage' 

The EAC-SADC talks opened on ministerial level on February 7, as leaders of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) holding an emergency meeting in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.

In a statement, the ECCAS bloc urged the M23 rebels to stop their offensive to help address the dire humanitarian crisis, saying "We strongly condemn the M23 armed group supported by Rwanda and call upon them to immediately end their offensive," ECCAS said in a statement. 

The bloc also called for the immediate withdrawal of Rwandan armed forces. The EAC-SADC statement also urged the "lifting of Rwanda's defensive measures and disengagement of forces from DRC."  

How experts see the latest crisis talks

A Tanzania-based political analyst, Paternus Niyegira, told DW that the Dar es Salaam summit was a major starting point towards ending the war.

"In the short term, the parties must consider the humanitarian activity to take course in eastern DR Congo. But in the long term is to work with all parties [including M23 rebels] to ensure that they have a stable state," he said.

Experts on the Great Lakes region seem to agree that the deep tensions between Tshisekedi and Kagame has complicated the conflict.

"When the two personalities don't see eye to eye, sitting around the negotiating table is always difficult," Fidel Amakye Owusu, a Ghana-based security and international relations analyst, told DW. It also poses a constant risk of armed conflict that escalates. 

Ruto told the summit that the conflict in DRC can't be resolved militarily. "Only a diplomatic approach, one that addresses the root causes of the crisis, secures the historic integrity and territorial integrity of DRC and affirms the sovereignty of the people and the aspiration of freedom justice and development, that is what would establish peace," the Kenyan leader said. 

Mnangagwa meanwhile called on the summit to come up with a realistic resolution to the crisis asked his counterparts to sustain their commitment towards bringing relief to the millions of Congolese in distress. 

Niyegira, the political analyst, told DW he is optimistic of a positive outcome following the summit "only if there would be a level of political honesty in their discussions."

African leaders should not work in isolation but draw inspiration from previous efforts to broker peace in DRC, he said. 

Leaders call for protection of lives and property

The M23 rebel capture of Goma in late January has left over 2,700 people dead, according to the United Nations. Independent observers say the number could be much higher.

Mass burials, organized by rebel leaders and Red Cross workers, are taking place as many families in Goma complain that the bodies of their loved ones have not yet been found.

Odette Maliyetu's son, a Congolese soldier, has been missing since the rebels captured the city. "Every day we visit our relatives and family members, hoping to find our son, who is serving in the army. We haven't found him yet, and we couldn't reach him by phone. We don't know whether he's alive or dead," she told DW.

Speaking at one of the mass burials, Maliyetu said: "Here, where bodies are buried, it's difficult to identify them because they're wrapped up. It's impossible to identify a loved one. We're disappointed and we're going home."

Most of the people being buried were killed in bombings or by stray bullets. "My grandmother died after a bomb exploded," Chance Nzabanita, told DW. 

The EAC-SADC leaders expressed concern over the lives lost and the humanitarian crisis affecting women and children in particular. The crisis was also "manifesting in attacks on diplomatic missions, embassies, and staff based in Kinshasa."

Edited by: Benita van Eyssen