A Joint Summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC) reported significant progress in efforts to restore peace and security in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
M23 rebels have taken control of the region following clashes the DRC troops.
The summit, co-chaired by Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, President of Zimbabwe and SADC Chairperson, and William Samoei Ruto, President of Kenya and EAC Chairperson, was held in Dar es Salaam on February 8, 2025.
The meeting was critical in addressing the escalating security challenges in the eastern DRC, and the participants discussed their recent progress toward a solution.
During the summit, the two leaders, along with other SADC and EAC heads of state, agreed to appoint three distinguished facilitators to lead the peace process.
The newly appointed facilitators are former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, and former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe.
These appointments will bring together the previously separate Luanda and Nairobi peace processes, demonstrating a concerted effort to promote stability in the volatile eastern DRC region.
Preparatory meetings between the EAC Chiefs of Defence Forces (CDFs) were held in Nairobi on February 21, 2025, in accordance with Joint Summit directives.
Similarly, SADC CDFs met in Dar es Salaam to discuss regional security concerns.
These meetings followed extensive discussions by the EAC Defense Experts Working Group, which met for two days prior to the CDF meeting.
The discussions were guided by a series of critical directives aimed at improving the security and humanitarian situation in the eastern DRC, such as an immediate ceasefire, humanitarian aid, the reopening of key supply routes, and a focus on securing Goma and its surroundings.
A joint meeting of the EAC and SADC Chiefs of Defense Forces was scheduled for February 24, 2025, in Dar es Salaam.
This meeting will precede a Joint Ministerial Meeting slated for February 28, 2025, where further actions regarding the ceasefire and security measures will be addressed.
The meetings will play a crucial role in implementing the key directives from the summit, and the peace process is expected to gain additional momentum as discussions on the ceasefire details continue.
In light of the developments, all parties involved, including the M23 and other armed groups, are urged to follow the cease-fire agreement announced at the EAC-SADC Summit.
The ongoing fighting in the area has left many dead and others displaced.
