EAC-SADC Leaders Meet to Tackle Escalating DRC Conflict

GOOBJOOG NEWS | NAIROBI: Leaders from the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) convened for a virtual summit on Monday evening, seeking urgent solutions to the worsening security crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The meeting, co-chaired by Kenyan President William Ruto and Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, followed renewed violence in the region, with armed groups continuing to destabilize communities and fuel tensions.

The leaders reviewed a report from the Joint EAC-SADC Ministerial Meeting held on March 17 in Harare, Zimbabwe, which outlined steps toward restoring peace, including a ceasefire agreement and the formation of a monitoring secretariat to oversee its implementation.

A key resolution from the summit was the appointment of a high-profile panel of five facilitators to lead mediation efforts.

The panel includes former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde, and former Central African Republic President Catherine Samba-Panza.

Their role will be to steer diplomatic efforts aimed at ending hostilities and pushing for a lasting political solution.

The summit brought together representatives from SADC’s Double Troika, which includes Zimbabwe, Angola, and Madagascar, as well as countries leading the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security Affairs, namely Tanzania, Malawi, and Zambia. South Africa, a key troop contributor to the SADC Mission in the DRC, also took part, alongside Congolese officials.

However, the absence of DRC President Félix Tshisekedi raised questions, as he had initially confirmed his attendance. His spokesperson Tina Salama later attributed his no-show to scheduling conflicts.

Meanwhile, Rwandan President Paul Kagame participated in the discussions, an important development given the ongoing tensions between Kigali and Kinshasa.

This was the second EAC-SADC joint summit following the January 26 resolution by EAC leaders, which led to an inaugural meeting earlier this year.

The latest discussions come amid growing fears of further attacks in eastern DRC, with reports indicating that militant groups are mobilizing.

As diplomatic efforts intensify, attention now shifts to how quickly the new mediation panel can implement the agreed roadmap to bring stability to one of the most volatile regions in Africa.