President William Ruto has called for political leadership in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to drive stability in the country.

He said the effort must be corroborated by countries neighbouring DRC for peace and sustainability.

“Without these bold steps, our region will not be able to ride the negative effects.”

He said the resolution of the conflict has a long a way to go and appealed for more support from regional bodies and the international community.

He noted that the resources will support comprehensive interventions to assist the growing humanitarian needs.

He made the remarks on Friday in Addis Ababa during the African Union Peace and Security mini-Summit of Heads of State and Government on the situation in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on the sidelines of the 36th Ordinary Session.

Present were Presidents João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço (Angola), Évariste Ndayishimiye (Burundi), Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Jessica Alupo (Vice President of Uganda), and Deng Dau (Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs – South Sudan).

Others were Felix Tshisekedi (Democratic Republic of Congo), Samia Suluhu (Tanzania) and Commissioner for African Union Commission Political Affairs, Peace and Security Ambassador Bankole Adeoye.

President Ruto strongly urged the convening of the Nairobi-IV session of the Inter-Congolese Consultations.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of President of the Republic of Kenya.