President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni yesterday convened an emergency regional summit at State House Entebbe, bringing together leaders and envoys to confront the rapidly worsening security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and its spillover across the Great Lakes region.
The Ad-hoc Summit on Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo meeting, focused on renewed fighting in North and South Kivu, where clashes between the M23 rebel movement, Congolese government forces and allied militias have displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians and reignited regional tensions.
President Museveni said the discussions reflected a shared determination among neighbouring countries to pursue cooperation rather than confrontation.
“I am encouraged by the discussions and the strong commitment of participating countries to collaborate for lasting peace and stability in the Great Lakes region,” President Museveni said said.
The Ad-Hoc Summit on Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo comes at a critical moment, after the M23 group announced it would pull its fighters from the strategic city of Uvira in South Kivu, describing the move as a goodwill gesture to support ongoing peace efforts under Qatar mediation.
“I thank all the participants who attended the Ad-Hoc Summit on Eastern Congo and I’m encouraged by the discussions and the strong commitment of participating countries to collaborate for lasting peace and stability in the Great Lakes region” He said.
The rebels said the withdrawal followed progress in the Doha peace process and appeals from international mediators, including the United States.
However, the M23 group warned that previous withdrawals had been followed by retaliatory advances from Congolese forces and local militias, placing civilians at risk and called for neutral mechanisms to manage vacated areas, including demilitarisation, protection of civilians and independent monitoring of ceasefire commitments.
Residents of Uvira Town and surrounding areas have endured days of shelling and gunfire and many families fled across the border into Burundi, where authorities temporarily closed crossings as refugee numbers surged and schools and businesses were shuttered, leaving communities cut off from basic services.
A US-brokered agreement signed in Washington between Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi Thilombo and Rwandan President Paul Kagame pledged a permanent ceasefire and regional cooperation. Yet the deal excludes M23, highlighting the fragmented nature of current peace initiatives.
The United Nations has warned that the humanitarian situation is deteriorating fast and the recent fighting has displaced an estimated 200,000 people, with dozens killed or injured, while Burundi reports tens of thousands of new refugees.
It was against this background that President Museveni’s meeting in Entebbe is being closely watched as a test of African-led diplomacy and Regional leaders insist that only sustained dialogue, mutual trust and coordinated action can halt the cycle of violence that has haunted eastern Congo for decades.
