Blitz Bureau
ARUSHA: East African heads of state made another push for peace in eastern Congo but its prospects remained bleak following a regional summit that was marked by the Congolese President’s absence and an early departure of his Rwandan counterpart, reported Associated Press.
A communique read at the end of the closed-door meeting of the East African Community in Arusha, Tanzania, only stated the need to combine regional and broader peace initiatives for sustainable peace in eastern Congo.
According to the AP report, violence has reemerged in one of the world’s most protracted conflicts in eastern Congo, where Congo’s Government accused the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group of “ethnic cleansing” in mineral-rich areas close to Rwanda’s border.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame left shortly after the closed-door meeting in Arusha. There was no official explanation for Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi’s absence at the summit.
Congo alleges that Rwanda has been involved in war crimes in the east, and the US and UN experts accuse it of giving military backing to M23. Rwanda denies the claim, but in February admitted that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to safeguard its security.
