NAIROBI, Kenya – Regional leaders from the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are set to hold a joint summit this weekend to address the ongoing conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The high-level talks, scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Dar es Salaam, follow an agreement between SADC Chairperson, Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa, and EAC Chairperson, Kenya’s President William Ruto.
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan will host the summit, which aims to find a collaborative approach to stabilizing the volatile region.
“President Samia Suluhu Hassan has graciously agreed to host the summit to deliberate on the situation in Eastern DRC,” President Ruto said.
The meeting will bring together key stakeholders, including DRC President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, both of whom have confirmed their attendance.
𝗦𝗔𝗗𝗖, 𝗘𝗔𝗖 𝗧𝗢 𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗗 𝗝𝗢𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗜𝗧 𝗢𝗡 𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗡 𝗗𝗥𝗖 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗙𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗧 A joint summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East Africa Community (EAC) will be held on Friday and Saturday on the conflict in the Eastern…
Their participation is particularly significant given the tensions between their two countries, with Kinshasa repeatedly accusing Kigali of backing M23 rebels, an allegation Rwanda denies.
Ahead of the main summit on Saturday, ministers from participating nations will hold preliminary discussions on Friday to set the agenda.
President Ruto also confirmed that South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, and Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud will take part in the talks.
The summit underscores growing efforts by African leaders to take the lead in resolving the conflict in eastern DRC, where multiple armed groups continue to operate despite various peace efforts.
SADC and the EAC have both deployed troops in the region, but a unified strategy remains elusive.
This extraordinary meeting is expected to address ongoing military interventions, diplomatic tensions, and potential peacebuilding mechanisms in a bid to bring lasting stability to the mineral-rich but conflict-ridden region.
