East African summit urges peace in eastern Congo but its leader skips talks

East African heads of state have made another push for peace in eastern Congo but its prospects remained bleak following a regional summit that was marked by the Congolese president’s absence and an early departure of his Rwandan counterpart. A communique read at the end of the closed-door meeting of the East African Community in Arusha, Tanzania, only stated the need to combine regional and broader peace initiatives for sustainable peace in eastern Congo. Rwandan President Paul Kagame left shortly after the closed-door meeting and there was no official explanation for Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi’s absence at the summit.