Africa: Regional Ministers Meet in Kampala Over Congo

By Raymond Baguma, 4 September 2013

Kampala — Foreign and defence ministers from the region are today meeting in Kampala ahead of the emergency meeting by regional heads of state to discuss the situation in Eastern DR Congo.
The heads of state are set to meet at the Commonwealth Resort Munyonyo on Friday September 6, under the auspices of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR).
This follows the launch of an offensive by the UN intervention brigade against positions of the M23 rebels.
Elly Kamahungye, the spokesperson of the Ugandan foreign affairs ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that Uganda, as chair of the ICGLR, felt it urgent to convene an extraordinary Summit for the member states.
"This coming extraordinary summit should be seen as an effort by the chair to bring all parties to the conflict and all regional leaders to help find a lasting solution to the conflict aimed at creating stability in eastern DRC and the region as whole," he said.
The expected delegations to the summit include that of Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, DR Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia.
The UN is also expected to be represented at the summit.
Last month, the regional body expressed concern about the escalating violence and resumption of fighting in eastern DRC between Government troops and M23 rebels.
The fighting resumed a month after regional leaders had met in Nairobi in July.