UN chief warns against regional war over DR Congo at Africa summit

UN chief warns against regional war over DR Congo at Africa summit

UN chief Antonio Guterres and outgoing AU Commission chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat discussed the DR Congo crisis at the summit

UN chief Antonio Guterres on Saturday demanded the Democratic Republic of Congo's "territorial integrity" be respected and a regional war avoided, at an African summit 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 summit, which opened in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa on Saturday morning.

Rwanda's President Paul Kagame was seen attending meetings at the gathering.

But Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi was absent from the summit as fighters from the M23 group took more territory.

Having routed the Congolese army to capture the key provincial capital of Goma in North Kivu last month, the Rwandan-backed armed group has since pushed into neighbouring South Kivu.

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.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on X he had spoken with Tshisekedi while stressing the need for Rwanda to back urgent measures including an M23 withdrawal from Bukavu and a ceasefire.

- DRC ceasefire call -

The AU has been criticised for its timid approach in the face of a possible regional conflagration.

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.

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.

A government source told AFP Tshisekedi would not be at the summit either as he had to "closely follow the situation on the ground".

In Bukavu, the situation was confused Saturday with local security sources indicating M23 fighters and Rwandan troops were still engaged in securing the city's outskirts.

AFP journalists in Bukavu reported sporadic gunfire, with the streets deserted as residents sheltered inside their homes after reports of overnight looting.

Looting was reported, particularly in supermarkets and at food reserves stored near the city's main market and in a World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse, according to several witnesses.

One resident claimed looters had recovered weapons abandoned by the military.

The M23 meanwhile stated it expected Bukavu's residents to organise "into vigilance committees to ensure security." The armed group also demanded "the immediate withdrawal" of Burundian soldiers.

Across the nearby border in Rwanda, AFP reporters in the town of Rusizi said the streets were unusually calm but some gunshots could be heard.

Tshisekedi, speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Friday, urged nations to "blacklist" Rwanda, condemning Kigali's "expansionist ambitions".

Rwanda has not admitted backing M23 but has accused extremist Hutu groups in DRC of threatening its security.

DRC accuses Rwanda of plundering valuable minerals in its eastern provinces.

- Africa's challenges -

The 55-nation AU is 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.

"Kagame has clearly calculated that his best approach is to push forward, and he does have some support," International Crisis Group's Great Lakes project director Richard Moncrieff told AFP.

"Some African leaders have trouble defending Congo because they don't defend themselves."

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.

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