Leaders from Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are convening in Tanzania to address escalating tensions in the eastern region of the DRC. Rwandan President Paul Kagame arrived in Dar es Salaam on Saturday for talks aimed at defusing the ongoing conflict.
The summit, hosted by the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community, brings together leaders from across the region, including the presidents of Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. DRC President Felix Tshisekedi is participating via video conference, according to a statement from the DRC presidency.
The meeting comes in response to the rapid advance of the March 23 Movement (M23), an armed group accused by the DRC of receiving support from Rwanda—a claim Rwanda denies. Since re-emerging in 2021, the M23 has seized significant territories in the mineral-rich eastern DRC, including the strategic city of Goma last week, displacing thousands and heightening regional instability.
Efforts to broker peace through talks hosted by Angola and Kenya have so far failed, with multiple ceasefires collapsing. The conflict has deep historical roots, with Rwanda accusing the DRC of harboring the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a group formed by ethnic Hutus involved in the 1994 Rwandan genocide against the Tutsi population.
As the M23 pushes further into the South Kivu province, regional leaders are under increasing pressure to find a lasting solution to the decades-long turmoil that has plagued the eastern DRC. The outcome of the Dar es Salaam summit could be a pivotal moment in efforts to restore peace and stability to the region.
