The African Union (AU) chairman, Moussa Faki Mahamat, has called upon all foreign powers to completely abstain from the internal affair of all African countries, notably Democratic of Congo and those in the Great Lakes Region.
In a statement of 21st February 2024, the AU Boss expressed concern over continuous tensions in Eastern DRC and reiterated his call for de-escalation of hostilities caused by armed groups and have left millions of people either dead or displaced.
The recent hostilities have sucked in neighbours in the region Rwanda who the Kinshaha government accuse of backing the M23 rebels operating in the Eastern mineral-rich region of Ituri.
The renewed fighting in Eastern DRC has seen the Kinshaha government seek the intervention of South African Development Community (SADC) forces, to help stabilize the region.
Moussa Faki appealed to regional leaders, particularly those of DRC and Rwanda, to prioritize dialogue with a goal of agreeing to settle their political differences.
The regional troops from Tanzania, Malawi and South Africa were lately joined by those from Burundi while an appeal for Rwanda to join in was blocked heightening longstanding tensions between the two countries and further threatening security in the region.
“The chairperson of the commission repeats forcefully that there will not be any military solution to problems and disagreements within the African family. He calls upon all foreign powers to completely abstain from the internal affair of all African countries, notably those in the Great Lakes Region” the statement from the bureau of the AU chairperson notes.
“The integrity, security, sovereignty of all states in the region must necessarily be assured, and lives of the civilian population completely protected” the statement adds.