AFRICAN OFFICIALS PUSH FOR CEASEFIRE IN MEETING ON CONGO CRISIS

NAIROBI (Kenya), Feb 8 (Bernama-AA) -- Top officials from East and Southern African nations have called for an immediate ceasefire in eastern Congo, urging all parties to prioritise dialogue over conflict, Anadolu Agency reported on Friday.

Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Minister, Musalia Mudavadi, who co-chaired the summit, stressed the urgency of ending hostilities and advancing peace negotiations.

“Peace is not like instant coffee. You cannot brew it. We have a golden moment as the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community to help the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo,” Mudavadi told delegates at a ministerial meeting in Tanzania.

Zimbabwe’s Foreign Minister, Amon Murwira, another co-chair, echoed Mudavadi’s sentiments, adding that discussions at the summit laid the groundwork for Saturday’s heads of state and government meeting, where the presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo will come face to face amid their ongoing dispute over the conflict.

Concerns over Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi’s commitment to regional dialogue grew after his absence from a recent East African Community virtual summit.

Meanwhile, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, speaking at a special Human Rights Council session in Geneva on Friday, condemned the escalating violence in eastern Congo. He reported that since 26 January, nearly 3,000 people have been killed, 2,880 injured, and over 500,000 displaced, adding to the 6.4 million already internally displaced.

Separately, the remains of 14 South African National Defence Force soldiers, killed in the ongoing conflict, were expected to be repatriated later Friday.

-- BERNAMA-AA