UN chief warns DRC conflict risks escalating into a regional war

Speaking at the African Union summit (AU) on Saturday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that a regional escalation of the conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) must be avoided at all costs.

The AU’s 55 members are meeting as the Rwanda-backed M23 fighters continue there advance in the eastern DRC, on Friday claiming to have entered the region’s second largest city, Bukavu.

“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 at the summit.

"There is no military solution. The deadlock must end, the dialogue must begin, and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC must be respected," he said.

In recent weeks, M23 rebels have captured swathes of the DRC’s mineral-rich eastern region, including the key city of Goma, capital of North Kivu province.

With international pressure mounting on Rwanda to curb the fighting in eastern DRC, the conflict was set to dominate the summit at AU headquarters in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

DRC’s President Félix Tshisekedi continues to plead with the international community to intervene to contain the rebels and blacklist Rwanda for backing them.

He did not attend the gathering, but Rwanda's President Paul Kagame was seen attending meetings at the summit.

Rwanda has not admitted to backing the M23 but has accused extremist Hutu groups in the eastern DRC of threatening its security.

Amid fears of the conflict spilling over into neighbouring countries, the AU has been criticised for its timid approach to the fighting and observers have demanded more decisive action.