SADC, EAC Chairs Hailed for Seeking Lasting Peace in DRC . . .Africa Urged to Take Charge of Resolving Conflict on the Continent

Sunday Mail  

August 3, 2025

SADC chairperson President Mnangagwa and his Kenyan counterpart President William Ruto, who is also the EAC chairperson, walk to the venue of the meeting on the DRC at State House in Nairobi on Friday. — Picture: Presidential Photographer Tawanda Mudimu

Africa Moyo recently in NAIROBI, Kenya

THE SADC and East African Community (EAC) chairpersons have been hailed for their continued pursuit of lasting peace in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Africa has also been urged to take charge of peace processes on the continent to guarantee durable calm.

This emerged at the joint meeting of the EAC-SADC co-chairpersons in Nairobi, Kenya, on Friday.

The SADC and EAC chairpersons, Presidents Mnangagwa and William Ruto, respectively, convened the meeting to formally appoint a panel of five facilitators to drive the peace process.

They are former Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Sahle-Work Zewde (Ethiopia), Mokgweetsi Masisi (Botswana) and Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria), as well as former interim President of the Central African Republic Catherine Samba-Panza.

In his remarks, African union (AU) Commission chairperson Mr Mahmoud Ali Youssouf praised leaders of the two regional blocs for their commitment to peace in the eastern DRC.

“It is indeed a great source of satisfaction that our leaders devote time and energy to try and solve crises on the continent,” he said.

“I can only praise their efforts and pay tribute to you all for this genuine engagement. Your Excellencies, eastern DRC has been for decades a theatre of mayhem and suffering.

“The population in eastern DRC has been subjected to endless displacement, killing and chronic insecurity for more than three decades, (but) over the past few months, there is a glimmer of hope shaping up and giving all of us reasons to believe that this time around, peace could be reached among all stakeholders.”

Mr Youssouf said the AU was happy with the Washington Agreement signed between Rwanda and the DRC, as well as the Declaration of Principles signed between M23 rebels and the DRC government in Doha, Qatar, on July 19, pledging to implement the deal’s terms by July 29.

A final peace deal is due by August 18.

The two parties had agreed to refrain from attacks, hate propaganda and any attempt to seize new territory.

However, there were reports on Monday that the M23 had seized two villages in North Kivu.

The AU, Mr Youssef said, underlines the “centrality of its mediation role in all the crises of our continent”.

“Now, it is paramount to capitalise on any breakthrough or progress that can bring peace to our member countries,” he said.

“However, there is need for better coordination and more coherence if we are to succeed in the implementation of those agreements. Besides, the commission urges all parties to tackle the root causes in a holistic manner.”

Support

President Mnangagwa emphasised the need to support the five facilitators.

“In the spirit of Pan-African unity and progress, we urge all parties to fully support the leadership of our esteemed facilitators and to engage in honest, inclusive and constructive dialogue,” he said.

“Let us take full advantage of the current window of opportunity to secure lasting peace, stability and development for the people of eastern DRC, the region and our continent.”

The engagement between SADC and the EAC, he added, demonstrated the blocs’ collective commitment to the peaceful resolution of conflict in the eastern DRC and the consolidation of peace and security on the continent.

“Collaboration between your esteemed panel of facilitators, the African union and the SADC and EAC regional blocs is key in delivering a lasting solution to this conflict that has negatively impacted the lives and livelihoods of the people of eastern DRC for far too long,” he said.

He underscored SADC and EAC’s readiness to constantly engage with the facilitators until peace and stability are realised.

In his remarks, President Ruto said he believes that a “sustained, coordinated Africa-led peace process remains the best pathway to sustained and peaceful eastern DRC”.

“The two regional organisations and the African union Commission remain available to ensure that the implementation of both the Washington Peace Accord and the Doha Initiative is actualised,” he said.

“Let me reiterate our commitment as joint co-chairs to providing leadership on this process on behalf of our joint EAC-SADC Heads of State and Government Summit. And we did decide to take the historic step, the first time it is happening on this continent to bring two regional economic blocs together, to facilitate the resolution of the process in eastern DRC because we realise that this was a situation that was threatening to run out of control and to destabilise the whole region; that is why both EAC and SADC Summits decided to merge into one process so that we can help the people of DRC.”

Taking charge

Presenting the communique, SADC Executive Secretary Mr Elias Magosi said the meeting commended the panel of facilitators for accepting to guide the process towards addressing the various facets of security challenges in the eastern DRC.

The meeting also adopted the enabling documents outlining the mandate of the facilitators, namely, the framework for the merger of the Nairobi and Luanda processes, the terms of reference for the five-member panel of facilitators appointed by the Joint EAC-SADC Summit and the process design for an inclusive mediation process.

The meeting also resolved to hold a virtual Extraordinary Joint EAC-SADC Summit within seven days to communicate the outcomes of Friday’s meeting.

The African union Commission will also communicate outcomes of the meeting to all AU member states.

It was also resolved that there be an “immediate merger of the EAC-SADC and AU structures to comprise the AU mediator, EAC-SADC panel of facilitators, to report to the Joint EAC-SADC Summit and the African Union”, said Mr Magosi.

There will also be an immediate merger of the technical secretariats of the AU Commission, the EAC and the SADC into a joint secretariat, led by the AU Commission in Addis Ababa.

Terms of reference and related documents will also be consolidated for the AU mediator and the EAC-SADC panel of facilitators, to be endorsed by the Joint EAC-SADC Summit.

Another resolution was on immediate resource mobilisation, including for humanitarian support, which will be centralised and coordinated by the AU Commission.