UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday, February 15, demanded the Democratic Republic of Congo's "territorial integrity" be respected and a regional war avoided, at an African summit held the day after Rwandan-backed fighters seized a second DRC provincial capital.
With international pressure mounting on Rwanda to curb the fighting in eastern DR Congo (DRC), the conflict was set to dominate the African Union (AU) summit, which opened in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Saturday morning.
Rwanda's President Paul Kagame was seen attending meetings at the gathering. Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, meanwhile, was absent from the summit.
Having routed the Congolese army to capture the key provincial capital of Goma in North Kivu last month, the Rwandan-backed armed group M23 has since taken more territory, pushing into the neighboring South Kivu province.
It took a key airport there before marching, largely unchecked, into the city of Bukavu on Friday, security and humanitarian sources said.
"The fighting that is raging in South Kivu – as a result of the continuation of the M23 offensive – threatens to push the entire region over the precipice," Guterres said, without mentioning Rwanda. He urged dialogue, saying a regional escalation must be avoided "at all costs" with "no military solution." "And the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC must be respected," he said.
In Bukavu, the situation was confused on Saturday, with local security sources indicating M23 fighters and Rwandan troops were still engaged in securing the city's outskirts.
The M23 meanwhile stated that it expected Bukavu's residents to organise "into vigilance committees to ensure security." The armed group also demanded "the immediate withdrawal" of Burundian soldiers.
The European Union said on Saturday it was "urgently" considering all options following the news from Bukavu. "The ongoing violation of the DRC's territorial integrity will not go unanswered," it warned.
The AU, meanwhile, has been criticized for its timid approach in the face of a possible regional conflagration. Guterres stressed in a later press conference that Africa was "the key to the solution of the problem."
A meeting of the AU's Peace and Security Council dedicated to the conflict ran late into Friday evening, with neither Kagame nor Tshisekedi attending.
Tshisekedi, speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Friday, urged nations to "blacklist" Rwanda, condemning Kigali's "expansionist ambitions." The DRC has accused Rwanda of plundering valuable minerals in its eastern provinces.
Rwanda has not admitted to backing M23 but has accused extremist Hutu groups in DRC of threatening its security.
The 55-nation AU was meeting as Africa faces another devastating conflict in Sudan and after US President Donald Trump cut US development aid, hitting the continent hard.
Leaders opened the summit by calling for progress on securing reparations for past abuses by colonial powers – a growing issue in international talks.
The AU leaders represent around 1.5 billion people in a body that observers have long branded ineffective. Angolan President Joao Lourenco, involved in years of futile mediation between Tshisekedi and Kagame, took over the AU rotating presidency in Saturday's session – a ceremonial role that changes hands annually.
In a twist, leaders voted Saturday to elect Dijbouti's Mahmoud Ali Youssouf as the new chairman of the body's executive commission – the AU's top job – replacing Chad's Moussa Faki Mahamat at the end of his two-term limit.
Youssouf saw off competition from Kenyan opposition veteran Raila Odinga and Madagascar's ex-foreign minister Richard Randriamandrato.