President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has reiterated his recommendation to Congolese counterpart Félix Tshisekedi, whose country is the focus of the extra-ordinary joint EAC-SADC summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Saturday, February 8, to "speak directly with those who are in conflict with him,” so as to resolve the escalating insecurity in eastern DR Congo.

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The Ugandan president posted this on X while leaders from the two regional economic blocs convened for a first ever joint EAC-SADC summit on the security situation in eastern DR Congo.

Museveni’s post read: "My earlier proposal for this summit was that H.E. [Felix] Tshisekedi should speak directly to those who are in conflict with him, as this impacts all of us. There is no other forum better suited to address this issue than this summit. I therefore hope for a fruitful discussion.”

Museveni has always maintained that stand as regards solving the eastern DR Congo conflict.

A ministerial meeting held on Friday ahead of the heads of state session also put emphasis on the importance of Kinshasa engaging in dialogue with non-state parties including the M23 rebels to resolve the eastern DR Congo conflict.

In his opening remarks at the start of the summit, President William Ruto of Kenya who is the EAC chairperson, reiterated a call to the parties to the "tragic conflict” – the AFC/M23 rebels and the Congolese government – to immediately cease hostilities and take positive action to allow meaningful dialogue aimed at the restoration of stability.

Ruto said: "An immediate ceasefire is the only way by which we can create necessary conditions for constructive dialogue and implementation of a comprehensive peace agreement.”

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The escalating war between a Congolese government army coalition that included FDLR – a DR Congo-based terrorist militia founded by remnants of the masterminds of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, over 10,000 Burundian troops, 1,600 European mercenaries, thousands of Congolese militia elements grouped in what is called Wazalendo, and South Africa-led SADC forces, against M23 rebels started in 2021.

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M23, a rebel movement initial fighting for the rights of a persecuted Congolese community in the country North Kivu Province, is now a member of a larger rebel coalition, Alliance fleuve Congo (AFC), created in December 2023, that is fighting for governance that supports basic human rights, secures all Congolese citizens, and addresses the root causes of conflict. Its leaders have vowed to uproot tribalism, nepotism, corruption, and genocide ideology, among other vices, widespread in DR Congo.

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On January 27, the AFC/M23 rebels captured Goma, the capital of eastern DR Congo&039;s North Kivu Province, after a 48-hour deadline they imposed for the Congolese army and its coalition to surrender expired.

Last week, close to 300 European mercenaries who survived the rebels’ advance on Goma surrendered and were given safe passage, through Rwanda, to return home.

On February 5, the rebel alliance appointed new leaders for North Kivu Province, saying there was "a need and urgency to organize the territorial administration in the Democratic Republic of Congo.”

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The alliance of foreign forces, including SAMIDRC and FDLR, deployed to eastern DR Congo had combat objectives "not limited to defeating M23 but also attacking Rwanda," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said early this month. It was noted that SAMIDRC together with coalition partners that include neighbouring Burundi’s armed forces, FDLR, and European mercenaries, were central to the conflict, and should not be there because they are adding to the problems that already existed.

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The argument that SAMIDRC was invited by the Congolese government "is rendered void by the fact that they are there to fight the citizens of that country [AFC/M23], and effectively bring war to Rwanda," Kigali said.

In July 2023, Museveni also said the M23 problem is a political problem that can be solved by dialogue because the rebels are not actually making big demands so as to stop fighting. At the time, the Ugandan leader said: "I don’t think they [M23] are asking for big things; sharing power or what. No! Their demands are simply ‘to go back to their homes which they run away from and to be integrated into the army’. How can this be a problem?”

"So, we are encouraging Tshisekedi to agree with them and if they do not want to discuss, then we can treat them as a negative force and act against them.”