The East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have jointly appointed former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Nigeria’s ex-leader Olusegun Obasanjo to lead mediation efforts aimed at resolving the worsening conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The high-level summit, co-chaired by Kenya’s President William Ruto, who heads the EAC, and Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa, saw the formation of a distinguished Panel of Facilitators.
This panel includes Kenyatta, Obasanjo, and former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, who will be at the forefront of peace negotiations.
To ensure regional balance and inclusivity, the panel also features former Central African Republic leader Catherine Samba-Panza and Ethiopia’s ex-president Sahle-Work Zewde.
Their inclusion highlights the commitment to gender representation and diverse leadership in the mediation process.
Urgent Peace Roadmap and Regional Coordination
During the virtual summit held on Monday, March 24, leaders emphasized the urgent need to implement a concrete strategy to restore stability in the eastern DRC.
As part of the resolutions, Presidents Ruto and Mnangagwa were instructed to hold a key meeting with the newly appointed facilitators within seven days.
According to the summit’s official communiqué, this briefing must involve representatives from the EAC, SADC, and the African Union (AU) to ensure a coordinated approach to the crisis.
The security situation in eastern DRC has been deteriorating for decades due to the presence of armed groups, but recent clashes have made matters even worse.
The ongoing violence has fueled a major humanitarian crisis, displacing thousands of civilians.
The latest summit reviewed reports from joint defense and foreign affairs meetings and endorsed both short-term and long-term strategies to bring lasting peace to the region.
Coordinated Efforts with AU and UN
The peace initiative aligns with previous efforts by the African Union and the United Nations Security Council, both of which have called for urgent and coordinated action to address the escalating violence.
The EAC and SADC secretariats have been tasked with formally informing the newly appointed facilitators and updating the AU and UN on the summit’s outcomes.
A follow-up meeting, involving representatives from the AU, EAC, and SADC, has been scheduled for next week to assess progress and strengthen collaboration.
Key Leaders Show Support for the Peace Initiative
Among the prominent leaders who attended the summit were DRC President Félix Tshisekedi, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Their presence signaled a broad regional consensus on the need for a unified peace strategy.
The move also comes after the DRC showed increasing interest in the SADC-led peace talks under the Luanda Process, which aims to bring stability to the conflict-hit region.
This summit was the second joint EAC-SADC meeting since February, when leaders met in Dar es Salaam to discuss the crisis.
The earlier meeting laid the foundation for the current roadmap, which includes military, political, and diplomatic strategies to tackle the conflict effectively.
Humanitarian Crisis and Rising Death Toll
The ongoing violence in the eastern DRC has left thousands dead and millions displaced. Prime Minister Judith Suminwa revealed that more than 7,000 people have been killed in recent months, with approximately 3,000 deaths recorded in Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.
Among these, over 2,500 bodies were buried without identification, while another 1,500 remain unclaimed in morgues.
The humanitarian crisis has worsened as entire communities flee their homes to escape the violence. Since the beginning of the year, more than 100,000 people have been displaced from Masisi territory due to heavy fighting between the M23 rebel group and the Congolese army.
In North Kivu alone, over 2.8 million people—more than one-third of the province’s population—are now displaced.
Growing Regional Pressure to End the Conflict
The resurgence of the M23 rebel group, along with accusations of external interference in the conflict, has made peace efforts more complex.
In February, the United Nations Security Council issued Resolution 2773, calling for an end to hostilities and urging foreign-backed armed groups to withdraw from the region.
As the crisis deepens, the joint efforts of the EAC and SADC, along with international backing from the AU and UN, are seen as a critical step toward finding a lasting solution to the DRC’s prolonged instability.
The newly appointed mediators, led by Kenyatta and Obasanjo, are expected to play a key role in pushing for negotiations, reducing tensions, and ensuring that peace efforts gain momentum in the coming weeks.
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