The Democratic Republic of Congo government has postponed the planned summit of leaders from the Great Lakes Region which was to take place from September 17, in the country's eastern city of Goma.

Congolese Foreign Minister Marie Tumba Nzeza on Thursday confirmed the summit postponement, which would have brought together leaders of DR Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Angola.

The summit will now be held virtually “at a later date due to the constraints of Covid-19.”

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic of Congo takes this opportunity to thank the sister republics of Angola, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda for their collaboration in the preparatory work of feasibility studies for said mini-summit which led to the above-mentioned decision," says Ms Tumba Nzeza.

This mini-summit was planned in particular to promote a common response to the problems of insecurity in eastern DR Congo.

According to the Congolese government, the mini-summit will address three themes: Peace and security in the region, diplomatic and political relations between these states, and the revival of economic activities in the context of the current fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

President Felix Tshisekedi has had to walk a tight rope to get all leaders on the same page, as the summit is bringing together countries whose relations have largely been delicate over the years, especially between Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi.

Burundi had already declined the earlier date invite, citing lack of preparedness.