African leaders call for regional-led solution to DR Congo conflict

African leaders on Sunday called for regional-led efforts to take the forefront in resolving the crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with international initiatives playing a supporting role.



The call was made at a one-day regional summit in Uganda's Entebbe, which brought together leaders and envoys to address the rapidly worsening security situation in eastern DRC and its spillover across the Great Lakes region.



Uganda's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs John Mulimba said participants agreed that the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) should spearhead peace efforts to address the escalating conflict.



According to Mulimba, the summit also directed that its communique be revised within 10 days, with a follow-up meeting to be convened within two weeks to incorporate a proposed regional peace framework.



In a statement issued during the summit, Rwanda said there was no need to establish new peace mechanisms, arguing that existing frameworks were sufficient to resolve the decades-long conflict.



Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta said the main challenge lay in the lack of implementation of agreements already reached.



He described the Washington accord and the Doha peace initiatives as the most viable frameworks for addressing both the internal and regional dimensions of the conflict.