ADDIS ABABA: UN chief Antonio Guterres on Saturday demanded the Democratic Republic of Congo's "territorial integrity" be respected and a regional war avoided, at an African summit the day after Rwandan-backed fighters seized a second DRC provincial capital. With international pressure mounting on Rwanda to curb the fighting in eastern DR Congo (DRC), the conflict was set to dominate the African Union summit as it opened in Addis Ababa. Having routed the Congolese army to capture the key provincial capital of Goma in North Kivu last month, the Rwandan-backed armed group pushed into neighbouring South Kivu.
"The fighting that is raging in South Kivu — as a result of the continuation of the M23 offensive — threatens to push the entire region over the precipice," Guterres told leaders in an address to the summit, without mentioning Rwanda. He urged dialogue, saying that a regional escalation must be avoided "at all costs", and that there was "no military solution". "And the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC must be respected." — AFP
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