The two leaders of the African nations agreed on the urgent need for a ceasefire and the resumption of peace talks by all parties to the conflict.
"President Cyril Ramaphosa held a telephone call with President Paul Kagame of Rwanda to discuss the recent developments in the eastern DRC and the escalation in fighting that has resulted in the deaths of SAMIDRC peacekeepers," the statement read.
The Southern African Development Community said over the weekend that its SAMIDRC mission in the eastern Congolese city of Goma came under a deadly attack by the M23 armed group on January 22, in what it said was a clear violation of the Angola-brokered ceasefire.
In July 2022, a DRC-Rwanda summit took place in Angola after M23 rebels, who claim to be protecting the rights of the Tutsi minority, stepped up the fighting in the eastern DRC. The DRC accused Rwanda of supporting the rebels, while Rwanda denied having any links to the movement.
Both countries have repeatedly accused each other of shelling each other's border territories. At the summit, DRC President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, agreed to deescalate relations between the two countries. The roadmap adopted by the two leaders called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of M23 militants from their positions in the DRC. However, the M23 militants said that they did not consider themselves obligated by the provisions of the roadmap.