World Council of Churches general secretary, Rev. Jerry Pillay, has called for the resumption of dialogue to support peace in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where conflict has escalated following an incursion of Rwandan troops into Congolese sovereign territory on the Goma/Rubavu border, raising fears of the conflict spreading regionally.

"Dialogue is the only way to avoid further suffering in and around Goma," said Pillay in a statement on Feb 5.

"The World Council of Churches stands ready with our member churches to support all efforts to resume dialogue between presidents Kagame and Tshisekedi. And we join with other faith and civil society groups in the Goma Call for Peace—praying for action that reduces violence and enables humanitarian access."

Meanwhile the UN Human Rights Council was to have a special debate on DRC on Feb. 7.

The Goma Call for Peace campaign is urging the international community to act immediately and decisively for peace in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo which has a population of some 116 million people.

UN experts on Feb. 6 expressed grave concern about urgent protection needs and dire living conditions of displaced civilians in the mineral-rich eastern DRC.

They said intensified hostilities between the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group and the armed forces of the DRC, supported by allied militias and mercenary and related actors, have displaced at least 700,000 people, killed at least 900, and injured over 2,000 in Goma and surrounding areas since early January.

"We extend our heartfelt support and solidarity to the hundreds of thousands affected by conflict, many of whom were already in situations of protracted displacement," the experts said.

The UN warned that it is gravely concerned about the safety and security of civilians and internally displaced people in the eastern DRC.

The concerns come as conflict further intensifies across South and North Kivu Provinces, with the UN warning of the potential for regional repercussions.

The churches' call notes the humanitarian and security risks in the region, urging "immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities and respect of the existing ceasefire agreement" as well as "protection of the civilian population and an urgent humanitarian response including the restoration of power and water to the city."

The call also urges a resumption of dialogue in good faith between Rwanda and the DRC and peaceful and diplomatic means as the only way to end the conflict, which the WCC noted has already caused untold suffering.

- 'ALL MEANS POSSIBLE'

The call concludes by urging the "international community to invest every effort and to consider using all possible means to bring peace..."

The WCC said a petition has been created to back the #GomaCallForPeace campaign, which was been created by a Congolese youth leader, a female war survivor, and Anglican bishop of Goma Martin Gordon.

Gordon said: "Central to the Goma call for peace is a call for a resumption of dialogue knowing that dialogue and negotiation will be the only way to bring about lasting peace in Eastern Congo."

Mike Mpanya, a youth activist, said: "This is not merely a regional issue; it is a moral imperative for all of us as Africans and as global citizens. We stand at a crossroads where we can choose a future not dictated by the rule of force but shaped by our shared values of human dignity, freedom, and justice. Let us not be silent."

Favour Ange, a war survivor, and women, girls, and child activist said: "An immediate end to violence is the only way forward in Goma. The Goma call for peace seeks to protect human rights and end the violence against women and children."

Backing the joint appeal was the archbishop of Southern Africa, Most Rev. Thabo Makgoba, who said: "We are at a moment when we can choose to come together in the pursuit of peace or the international community can turn away and allow the suffering of the innocent."

The call has also been backed by Rev. Ande Georges Titre, the archbishop of the Anglican Church of the Congo, who said: "Immediate aid is desperately needed for those suffering most, and our cries for peace need finally to be heard and acted upon."