There is no military solution to the problem s of the DR Congo (DRC), South African President Kgalema Motlanthe warned Sunday as he opened an emergency summit of the heads of state and government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Renewed fighting in the eastern DRC has driven the Zimbabwean crisis off the top of the SADC agenda, according to the Mozambican news agency, AIM.
As the SADC leaders were gathering, the UN reported fresh clashes between the Congolese army and troops loyal to rebel general Laurent Nkunda near Ngungu, 60 kilometres west of the city of Goma.
The humanitarian disaster is spiraling out of control and there are reports that over the past two months, a quarter of a million people have been displaced from their homes.
“We call for an immediate ceasefire to allow humanitarian assistance to reach displaced people,” said Motlanthe, adding that “we firmly believe that there is no
military solution to the problem.”
He pointed out that SADC encourages dialogue between the governments of the DRC and Rwanda.
