South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Rwandan President Paul Kagame recently held a phone discussion on the worsening security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The leaders focused on the ongoing conflict in Goma, where government forces claim to have regained control, but M23 rebels continue to assert their dominance over the city.
The situation escalated last week when nine members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) were killed during M23’s advance toward Goma. Ramaphosa and Kagame agreed that a ceasefire must be reinstated and that peace talks should resume to address the growing crisis.
Last year, the two leaders met in Rwanda, with the DRC conflict being a key topic of discussion. They both reaffirmed their belief that peace talks, rather than military action, are essential for a lasting resolution to the crisis in the region.
