Central African leaders meeting in Malabo on Friday condemned the offensive by the M23 rebel group, supported by Rwandan troops, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and called for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor.
“We firmly condemn the M23 armed group supported by Rwanda and urge them to cease their offensive immediately, withdraw from illegally occupied territories, and respect humanitarian corridors,” the leaders said in a statement issued after an extraordinary session of the Peace and Security Council of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).
They called for the creation of a secure humanitarian corridor to deliver aid to the population of Goma and its surroundings.
“We call for the immediate withdrawal of Rwandan Defence Forces from Congolese territory, including the normalisation of Goma airport operations,” the leaders added.
They expressed concern over the worsening security crisis since January 2025, which has triggered a humanitarian crisis, increased the number of internally displaced persons, caused numerous deaths, and destroyed essential community infrastructure.
The anti-government M23 group and Rwandan troops captured Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, last week.
The M23 had unilaterally announced a humanitarian ceasefire scheduled to take effect from Tuesday but launched an offensive in South Kivu province on Wednesday.
In the conflict-ridden eastern DRC, where Kinshasa accuses Kigali of attempting to exploit natural resources through M23, Rwanda denies these claims, stating its goal is to eradicate armed groups, including those formed by ex-Hutu leaders from the 1994 Tutsi genocide who allegedly threaten its security.
Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame are expected to attend a regional summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Saturday to seek a resolution to the conflict in eastern DRC.
