Tshisekedi snubs Ruto’s EAC crisis meeting as Kagame clashes with Ramaphosa

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Félix Tshisekedi on Wednesday boycotted an East African Community (EAC) crisis meeting convened by Kenyan President William Ruto from Cairo, Egypt, where he is on a state visit.

The high-stakes meeting, attended by most EAC leaders, was aimed at addressing the escalating violence in the eastern DRC, where the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group has seized key areas, including parts of Goma.

President Ruto, who currently chairs the EAC, had invited Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to a virtual summit as heavy fighting continued in eastern Congo, leaving bodies strewn across the streets of Goma.

Tshisekedi’s decision to skip the meeting did not come as a surprise.

The Congolese leader has consistently refused to participate in EAC-led mediation efforts due to his strained relations with both Rwanda and Kenya.

He has openly accused President Ruto of siding with Rwanda and undermining the Nairobi Peace Process initially led by former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta seeking to reconcile armed groups in eastern Congo.

Despite his absence, the meeting brought together presidents Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Evariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi, Tanzanian leader Samia Suluhu Hassan, Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh, and South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir Mayardit.

Rwanda, which has been accused of backing M23, has repeatedly denied any involvement in the conflict.

Need for dialogue

Speaking in Nairobi on Monday ahead of the crisis meeting, President Ruto reiterated the need for dialogue as the only sustainable path to peace in eastern DRC.

“Engagement, dialogue, and consultations are the only viable way out of the situation in DRC,” Ruto told journalists after a meeting with African leaders attending an AU reforms retreat.

He dismissed the possibility of a military solution, emphasising that addressing the root causes of the conflict was key.

However, Kinshasa has consistently rejected calls to negotiate with M23, branding the group as terrorists.

This firm stance is believed to have influenced Tshisekedi’s decision to skip the EAC-led talks.

The heated discussions on Wednesday saw Kagame openly challenge South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, accusing him of posturing as a mediator while his troops were actively involved in combat in eastern DRC.

Other Topics To Read

• Democratic Republic of Congo
• Democratic Republic of Congo
• Goma
• Rwanda
• Paul Kagame
• EAC
• East African Community
• President Felix Tshisekedi
• DRC
• eastern DRC
• m23
• Tshisekedi snubs Ruto’s EAC crisis meeting as Kagame clashes with Ramaphosa
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“We have MONUSCO, we have SAMIDRC, we have mercenaries, we have Burundi, we have FDLR that has joined them, and everybody is there watching this thing and we pretend like we don’t understand what has been going on for all these years?” Kagame asked in frustration.

He did not stop there. Directing his remarks at Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye, Kagame accused Burundian forces of engaging in ethnic cleansing in eastern Congo.

“And then when things like these of last week erupted, we behave like we are surprised, we are concerned about the humanitarian crisis. Isn’t persecuting people and killing people and displacing them part of that humanitarian concern? As East Africans, we sit here and then do what about it?” he added.

A region on the brink

With tensions at an all-time high, the rift between regional leaders has widened further, casting doubt on the effectiveness of EAC-led peace efforts.

Tshisekedi’s refusal to engage, Kagame’s direct rebuke of Ramaphosa and Ndayishimiye, and Ruto’s call for dialogue all highlight the deep divisions preventing a resolution to the crisis in eastern DRC.

As the situation in Goma deteriorates, the coming days will determine whether regional diplomacy can pull the Great Lakes region back from the brink — or if the conflict will spiral into an even more dangerous confrontation.