East and Southern African summit call for immediate ceasefire for DR Congo

Di joint EAC-SADC Summit on Democratic Republic of Congo say time don reach to include militant group M23, plus oda non-state actors for di discussions and negotiations wey dey go on to settle di conflict for eastern Democratic of Congo.

Di summit of heads of state of di East Africa Community (EAC) and Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), happun on Saturday, 8 February for Dar el Salam, capital of Tanzania.

Di summit include President of Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe, DRC, Somalia, Rwanda, Zambia, Burundi, Angola, Malawi, South Sudan and Madagascar.

For di communique wey di Secretary General EAC, sign, e say: "Di joint summit don direct resumption of direct negotiations and dialogue wit all state and non-state parties, military and non-military, including M23 and under di framework of di Luanda, Nairobi processes."

Di summit also say, e dey necessary for all sides to withdraw all foreign actors wey dey DRC dey fight.

E add say e get need to remove di Hutu armed group Forces Démocratiques pour la Libération du Congo (FDLR) wey dey also operate for di North Kivu province for eastern DRC.

Di leaders for dis communiques also want make Rwanda stop im defensive measures, plus disengage all Rwanda forces from DRC.

Defence chiefs from member states don also get instruction to meet within five days to develop security plan for Goma and surrounding areas, and also to discuss di reopening of Goma Airport and key supply routes – including to facilitate delivery of humanitarian aid to eastern DRC.

Di heads of state want immediate ceasefire, and restoration of essential utilities, food supplies, and oda important commodities.

Political and diplomatic engagement na im be di best and sustainable solution to di conflict, leaders tok.

Kenyan President William Ruto – wey be chairmo of di EAC block, say fighting no fit bring solution to di complex and historical conflict for DR Congo.

Ruto also call M23 make dem stop dia progress and make Kinshasa stop im revenge attacks.

"Specifically, we stand togeda to call on all parties to actualise ceasefire, and specifically on M23 to stop further progress and armed forces of DRC to cease all revenge attack. Immediate ceasefire na di only way wey we go fit create necessary conditions for tk tok wey go give way forward and implementation of comprehensive peace agreement"

According to Ruto, DRC palava e complex, delicate, don too tey, and involve plenty actors wey dey pursue different interests.

DR Congo wahala no no be today e start, and no be mata wey concern only di kontri, e don dey go on for many many years.

Ruto say e get "one kain underground international dimension, wey dem no fit to ignore im determination, doubtful and destructive effects any longer.

Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan wey host di regional summit say make regional leaders try find solutions to di conflict, beacos im dem fail, history go judge dem harshly.

"As regional leaders, history go judge us harshly if we sidon dey look di situation dey get worse day by day. And in line wit di philosophy of African solutions for African problems, our kontris get collective responsibility to make sure say we urgently address di existing insecurity challenges wey don heavily affect di life of innocent civilians"

Currently, two different peace negotiations naim dey go on, one for Luanda capital of Angola and Nairobi, capital of Kenya but di summit say dem want make di combine di two togeda to become one Nairobi-Luanda process, so di two go fit complement each oda.

Who dey pull di strings for DR Congo crisis?

Plenty African kontris don send di army go eastern DR Congo as M23 rebels don seize plenty of di mineral-rich land for di region.

DR Congo big no be small. Di kontri wey be two-thirds di size of Western Europe get long history of outside interference.

So, who be di main players and wetin dey want?

Democratic Republic of Congo

Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi wan regain di territory wey im kontri lost to di rebels, including di largest eastern town of Goma, and to prevent dem from seizing more.

Im dey blame Rwandan leader Paul Kagame for backing M23 wit weapons and troops, wit di aim of stealing di kontri mineral wealth and to change regime.

Im claim say Rwanda dey support M23 rebels na base on evidence inside one UN report wey many African and Western goments believe. And dem don demand make Kagame withdraw im forces.

But to Tshisikedi frustration, notin don happun.

Di Congolese leader dey also worry about keeping im seat.

"I tink di political survival of im goment dey at stake," Jason Stearns, one former UN investigator for DR Congo and current professor for Simon Fraser University, tok.

Rwanda - 'Di mysterious player'

Rwanda long-time leader Kagame dey di centre of dis conflict, but im sabi dodge.

E also get long history of military intervention inside DR Congo wey get connection to di result of di 1994 Rwanda genocide.

Rwanda no gree say e dey provide military support to M23, but dey always tok say e go do anything necessary to defend imsef.

Kagame insist say Rwanda priority na to destroy one armed group wey Hutu genocide perpetrators, wey massacre Rwanda Tutsis, come run go wia now be eastern DR Congo.

E accuse DR Congo army of joining forces wit dem and odas not just to slaughter Congolese Tutsis - wey M23 claim say dem dey fight to protect - but to threaten Rwanda.

For diplomatic level, Rwanda want confirmation of im tori say di fight na Congolese problem, and Kigali just dey defend im borders against spill-over of di civil war.

Rwanda want make Kinshasa negotiate directly wit M23, Kinshasa refuse.

But wetin Rwanda really want according to Oga Stearns, na "to maintain influence for eastern DR Congo".

Rwanda get both economic and security interests.

Kigali deny UN evidence say e dey smuggle plenty gold and oda metals out of eastern DR Congo and sell dem as im own.

But access to DR Congo mineral wealth n aim di koko of conflict for many years.

Burundi - 'Di neighbour wey dey watch'

Rwanda dey see Burundi army as anoda security threat for eastern DR Congo.

Di kontri wey get borders wit both Rwanda and DR Congo don get thousands of soldiers dia for years.

Dem bin to hunt Burundi rebels but now dem dey support Kinshasa army to fight M23.

Relationship between Rwanda and Burundi dey hostile.

Di two kontris get similar tribes, but unlike Rwanda, di majority Hutus na dem dey rule for Burundi.

Di two kontris don dey accuse each oda of trying to overthrow each oda goment.

Burundi President Evariste Ndayishimiye bin post very strongly-worded warning on social media.

"If Rwanda continue to make conquests," im wrote, "I know say war go even arrive Burundi… One day im [Kagame] go wan come to Burundi – we no go accept dat. Di war go spread."

Dis threat go continue if M23 continue im takeover from Goma enta province of South Kivu closer to Burundi border, wey be wia dem station dia force.

Stearns say, "Burundi dey worry say, if Rwandan troops… extend dia influence into South Kivu e go fit destabilize di goment for Bujumbura."

Some dey fear di two wars wey bin occur for di region for late 1990s, fit repeat imsef. Dat war bin drag nine different kontris follow body and bin reportedly led to millions of deaths.

Uganda - ' Dey play both ways'

Uganda no dey directly involved, but imsef get troops for eastern DR Congo.

Dem dey help Congolese goment with anoda different security threat – hunting down militants wey from Uganda wey dey connected to Islamic State group.

But Uganda role dey confusing – e dey work wit di Congolese, while at di same time, e dey allegedly provide at least complicit support to M23.

UN experts dey report say dis dey allow dem to use Uganda territory as a back base and supply route.

Kampala strongly deny am. But e don respond to M23 offensive by putting im troops in "forward defensive posture," to prevent oda armed groups from exploiting di crisis, e say.

Area pipo for di conflict area don report say dem dey see Uganda soldiers dey move enta di conflict zone.

Like Rwanda, Uganda don enta eastern DR Congo before claiming say e dey protect im borders.

But e dey also face accuse say e dey steal DR Congo natural resources, especially gold.

Analysts expect am to protect im economic interests even as e dey watch di Rwandans.

"E dey very clear say Uganda wan retain im own influence for eastern DR Congo and so dat im rival for Rwanda no g push am out," ICG Oga Moncrieff, tok.

South Africa - 'Di peacekeeper wey dey take sides'

South Africa contribute most of di sojas to one Southern African regional force wey dey fight alongside di Congolese army and don suffer heavy losses.

But dem also make headlines sake of one hurtful exchange between Kigali and Johannesburg.

South Africans bin blame di deaths of 14 of sojas on Rwandan Defense Forces, wey President Cyril Ramaphosa refer to as "RDF militia."

Im defence minister claim say im bin warn Kagame say dem go take any more shooting as declaration of war.

Dis tok vex Rwandan president, wey tok say di account of dia conversation na "lie" and e call South Africans "aggressive" force wey must leave DR Congo.