East African Leaders To Discuss Congo Situation As Rebels Claim Taking Over Goma City

NAIROBI (Kenya), Jan 27 (Bernama-AA) -- Kenyan President William Ruto, who chairs the East African Community, said the bloc will convene an extraordinary summit within 48 hours to tackle the growing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo as the M23 rebel group claimed early Monday it had taken over the eastern city of Goma.

Anadolu Agency (AA) reported that Ruto confirmed that he held discussions on Sunday with Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, both of whom have agreed to attend the summit.

According to a statement from the presidency, Ruto expressed concern over the deteriorating situation in the region, marked by ongoing hostilities and a worsening humanitarian crisis.

He said the conflict in Congo had seen heightened military actions and the closure of Goma’s airspace, worsening the conditions for affected populations.

Separately, the M23 rebels claimed to have captured Goma, the provincial capital of the North Kivu province, after days of intense fighting in eastern Congo, which has displaced thousands of civilians.

"We urge all residents of Goma to remain calm. The liberation of the city has been successfully carried out, and the situation is under control,” the group’s spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said in a statement.

There was no immediate confirmation from the government in Congo's capital Kinshasa.

The Kenyan leader said East Africa has a regional responsibility to de-escalate violence, noting: “Kenya firmly believes that a sustainable solution can only be achieved through engagement, constructive dialogue, and a renewed commitment to peace.”

“Consequently, and having consulted with the heads of state of the region on this dire situation, we will be convening an extraordinary East African Community summit within the next 48 hours to deliberate on this crisis and chart a way forward,” he added.

Ruto also called for greater involvement from the African Union, the Southern African Development Community bloc, and international partners.

“The African Union must not remain passive in the face of this escalating crisis,” he said, reiterating the East African bloc's readiness to collaborate with regional and global actors.

Congo severed diplomatic ties with Rwanda on Sunday as recent escalations left at least 13 peacekeepers and foreign soldiers dead and thousands of civilians displaced.

The M23 rebel group, allegedly backed by Rwanda, has intensified its offensive in eastern Congo that it started in 2022. North Kivu governor Gen. Peter Cirimwami was killed on the battlefield on Friday.

Rwanda said Sunday that it remained committed to the pursuit of a political solution to the conflict.

Meanwhile, the United Nations (UN) refugee agency spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh told a UN briefing in Geneva on Friday that the number of people displaced by the fighting had surged to more than 400,000 in 2025 alone.

-- BERNAMA-AA