Zambia to Host Regional Meeting on DR Congo

Zambia has announced plans to host a meeting of defence ministers from the Great Lakes region on Thursday, January 8, 2026, to address the worsening security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

In a statement issued on Saturday, January 3, the Zambian government said the three-day meeting would be held at the request of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) to discuss the deteriorating security conditions in the conflict-affected eastern DRC.

Zambia’s Defence Minister, Ambrose Lwiji Lufuma, is expected to chair the meeting in Livingstone. Defence ministers and chiefs of defence from all 12 ICGLR member states are expected to attend.

The ICGLR comprises Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.

Regional concerns have intensified amid renewed fighting between Rwanda-backed M23 rebels and Congolese government forces, particularly around the strategic and resource-rich city of Uvira, which borders Rwanda.

The area has endured recurring violence for more than three decades, with insecurity escalating since the M23 group resurfaced in 2021.

Earlier this year, the M23 seized control of key eastern cities, including Goma and Bukavu.

Last month, the group launched a fresh offensive in South Kivu Province, capturing Uvira, a city with a population of several hundred thousand, as well as areas along the border with Burundi.

The renewed violence comes days after the DRC and Rwanda signed a peace agreement in Washington with the support of US President Donald Trump.

Following US pressure, the M23 announced on December 17 that it was withdrawing from Uvira while calling for international mediation to prevent further violence and what it described as the city’s remilitarisation.

The United States has criticised what it described as the scale and sophistication of Rwanda’s involvement in eastern DRC, accusing Kigali of deploying between 5,000 and 7,000 troops in the area. United Nations experts have also repeatedly accused Rwanda of military interference in the DRC.

The M23 group, which denies links to Rwanda, says its objective is to overthrow Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi.

Meanwhile, a regional Congolese army spokesperson, Lieutenant Reagan Mbuyi Kalonji, confirmed that clashes were ongoing on Saturday in Kigongo and Katongo, particularly in the hills of Kashombe and Lubanda in Uvira territory.