25 Nov 2012

DR Congo rebels urged to stop war

8:03 am on 25 November 2012

African regional leaders meeting in Uganda have urged rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo to end hostilities and stop threats to depose the government.

At the end of a summit in the capital, Kampala, they called on the M23 rebel group to withdraw from the recently captured city of Goma and urged Congolese president Joseph Kabila to address rebel grievances.

President Kabila and the presidents of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania attended the Uganda talks, while Rwandan leader Paul Kagame was represented by his foreign minister.

Rebels have rejected previous calls to leave Goma, the capital of North Kivu province and the main city in eastern DR Congo, the BBC reports.

M23 has yet to officially respond to the statement, but its military spokesman expressed concern about the return of government troops to the city.