Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni/FILE
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has said he is ready to mediate efforts to end the conflict between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) government and the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels.
John Mulimba, Uganda's minister of state for foreign affairs in charge of regional cooperation, told lawmakers on Wednesday that the president is available to support a peaceful resolution to the hostilities between the two warring parties.
Earlier, Felix Tshisekedi, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), said he will not attend the crisis meeting hosted by his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto Wednesday regarding the security situation in the eastern DRC, local media reported, citing sources in the presidential office.
"President Felix Tshisekedi is closely following the evolution of the situation in the east of the country. However, he is not scheduled to attend the meeting convened by President William Ruto," stated Giscard Kusema, deputy director of the communication unit of the presidential office.
On Monday, Ruto announced that, amid the tense situation in the eastern DRC, Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Tshisekedi had agreed to participate in an extraordinary East African Community (EAC) summit Wednesday.
The relations between the latter two countries are on thin ice over the advances of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group in the eastern DRC. The M23 claimed to have taken over Goma, the capital of the North Kivu province and regional urban hub.
Fighting between M23 rebels and the Congolese army has reached Goma, the capital of the DRC's North Kivu province, with the rebels declaring the capture of the city and several key installations.
"President Museveni and the government of Uganda remain available to participate in regional peace initiatives to ensure the cessation of hostilities as soon as possible," Mulimba said.
He said the conflict in the central African country and the Great Lakes region in general cannot be resolved through military means.
Uganda continues to monitor the security situation in the Great Lakes region while taking into account the importance of ongoing bilateral arrangements with the DRC government, Mulimba said.
The African Union on Tuesday condemned the violence in the eastern DRC, calling on the M23 to "lay down" its arms.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday expressed deep concern over the escalating violence in the eastern DRC, urging the M23 to immediately cease all hostile actions and withdraw from occupied areas.
More than 400,000 people have been displaced since the start of 2025 in the eastern DRC, according to the UN.
