Sawt Falasteen - Rwandan and Congolese leaders join summit on eastern DRC conflict

The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group has rapidly seized swathes of territory in the mineral-rich eastern DRC in an offensive that has left thousands dead and displaced vast numbers.

The group took the strategic city of Goma, capital of North Kivu province, last week and is pushing into neighbouring South Kivu in the latest episode of decades-long turmoil in the region.

On Saturday, fighting was ongoing around 60 kilometres (40 miles) from South Kivu's provincial capital, Bakuvu, local and security sources told AFP.

Meanwhile, regional leaders gathered for the summit in the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam that brought together the eight countries of the East African Community (EAC)and 16-member Southern African Development Community.

Kagame appeared in person, while Tshisekedi joined via video call.

"We call on all parties to actualise the ceasefire, and specifically on the M23 to halt further advancement and the armed forces of DRC to cease all retaliatory measures," said Kenyan President William Ruto, current chair of the EAC, in opening remarks.

- Local fears -

Since the M23 re-emerged in 2021, peace talks hosted by both Angola or Kenya have failed and multiple ceasefires have collapsed.

Rwanda denies military support for the M23.

But a United Nations report said last year Rwanda had around 4,000 troops in the DRC and profited from smuggling out of the country vast amounts of gold and coltan -- a mineral vital for phones and laptops.

Rwanda accuses the DRC of sheltering the FDLR, an armed group created by ethnic Hutus who massacred Tutsis during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

The summit comes amid reports that the M23 is closing on the town of Kavumu, which hosts an airport critical to supplying Congolese troops.

There have also been reports of panic in the provincial capital Bukavu as residents board up shops and seek to escape.

"The border with Rwanda is open but almost impassable because of the number of people trying to cross. It's total chaos," they said.

- 'Gang rape, slavery' -

UN rights chief Volker Turk warned Friday: "If nothing is done, the worst may be yet to come for the people of the eastern DRC but also beyond the country's borders."

Turk said nearly 3,000 people had been confirmed killed and 2,880 wounded since M23 entered Goma on January 26, and that final tolls were likely to be much higher.

He also said his team was "currently verifying multiple allegations of rape, gang rape and sexual slavery".

M23 has already installed its own mayor and local authorities in Goma.

It has vowed to go all the way to the national capital Kinshasa, even though the city lies about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometres) away across the vast country, which is roughly the size of Western Europe.

The DRC army, which has a reputation for poor training and corruption, has been forced into multiple retreats.

The M23 offensive has raised fears of regional war, given that several countries are engaged in supporting DRC militarily, including South Africa, Burundi and Malawi.

burs-er/gil

O.Salim--SF-PST