President Ruto shared the development on Sunday night in a statement posted on his X account, describing the ongoing conflict in Eastern DRC as a severe humanitarian crisis.
'The escalating deteriorating peace and security situation in the DRC is of grave concern. The humanitarian crisis is being exacerbated by ongoing military actions, including the closure of airspace in Goma,' he stated.
President Ruto urged all parties to pursue dialogue as a way to resolve the crisis.
'As chair of the EAC, I call on the parties to the Luanda process and my brothers, President Félix Tshisekedi and President Paul Kagame, both of whom I have spoken to this evening, to heed the call for peace from the people of our region and the international community,' he said.
Ruto added that after consulting with his fellow EAC leaders, they agreed to convene an extraordinary summit of the EAC Heads of State within 48 hours to determine the way forward.
His announcement came in the wake of heavy fighting near the outskirts of Goma, with the M23 rebel group openly declaring its intent to take control of the city.
In the early hours of Monday, January 27, 2025, M23 political spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka announced the rebel group had taken control of Goma and urged residents to remain calm.
He also urged Congolese soldiers still in Goma to surrender their arms to the United Nations peacekeeping mission in DRC (MONUSCO) and gather at Goma's Stade de l'Unité before 3 a.m., warning that after the deadline, the city would be fully under M23's control.
IGIHE
