President William Ruto has called for an immediate cease of hostility in DRC in his sovereignty as the chair of the East African Communities (EAC) amidst the escalating conflict, after M23 claimed that they have captured Goma, on Monday, January 27.
President Ruto emphasized on the significance of peaceful resolutions. He urged DRC president Felix Tshisekedi, and Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, to prioritize on having peaceful resolutions and heed to the call of international communities.
In line with this, he also announced the convention of an extraordinary summit to be held within 48 hours to find solutions on how to restore regional peace and stability. He also confirmed that he held a discussion with the DRC and Rwanda presidents on Sunday, and they agreed to attend the summit.
However, there is no confirmation from Congo’s government in Kinshasa about Goma’s capture by the militia group. Ruto has called for African Union involvement, Southern African Development Community bloc, and international partners.
“The African Union must not remain passive in the face of this escalating crisis,” He urged.
The situation has caused severe humanitarian crisis, displacement of millions and widespread atrocities especially towards women and children. So far 13 soldiers, including 9 South Africans, 3 Malawians, and 1 Uruguayan, died in the conflict between the Congolese national army and the M23 in the DRC.
Netizens shared a disturbing footage of M23 rebels patrolling the city’s streets after an advance towards the Congolese army which forced quite a number of them to flee to the neighboring towns.
Some netizens urged the Congolese Government to engage in a dialogue with M23 members, in order to restore peace.
“Dialogue is the key to restoring equality and ending the ongoing conflict in the region.” Sam Ndagije said.
The Rwandan-backed M23 has reportedly intensified its atrocious activities in Eastern DRC, an operation that has led to the loss of many lives including Northern Kivu governor, Peter Cirimwami who lost his life in the battlefield on Friday.
UN refugee agency spokesperson, Matthew Saltmarsh said during a UN briefing in Geneva on Friday that the number of people already displaced as a result of the Eastern DRC conflict in 2025 has surged up to more than 400,000.
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