ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi on Wednesday called for "a process of dialogue" to address the ongoing conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

While attending the 46th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union (AU) at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, Mudavadi told reporters that a ceasefire is "not yet completely there" and can only be achieved through dialogue.

Mudavadi, who also serves as Kenya's cabinet secretary for foreign and diaspora affairs, said that fighting has resumed in some areas in the DRC, stressing that restoring peace is not a "guillotine issue" but a process that requires negotiations with relevant parties and an understanding of the region's complex situation.

"We have to appeal to the leadership of the different countries so that they can come to the table and silence the guns ... You have to build the blocks systematically. It has to be a negotiating process," said Mudavadi.

The Kenyan official said that significant steps, including the Luanda and Nairobi Processes, have been taken to ease tensions in the region.

Last week, the Tanzanian port city of Dar es Salaam hosted a gathering jointly convened by the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community, two major regional blocs, where African leaders called for an "immediate ceasefire" in eastern DRC

"We brought these two economic blocs together with the heads of state, who were well represented in Dar es Salaam, in a major effort to consolidate a common position to help bring peace," said Mudavadi.

"A military solution is not the way out. You have to build the blocks systematically. It has to be a process of negotiation," he said.

This year's AU Summit will see ministers from the organization's 55 members convene on Wednesday and Thursday for the 46th Ordinary Session of the continental union's Executive Council.

African heads of state and government will then gather at the AU headquarters on Saturday and Sunday, with the election and appointment of a new AU Commission chairperson among the key agenda items. Enditem

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