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Fungi Kwaramba in DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania

SADC Chairperson President Mnangagwa will today chair a joint summit of SADC and the East Africa Community (EAC) along with EAC Chairperson Kenyan President William Ruto, to persuade all involvevd in the Democratic Republic of Congo conflict to lay down arms and return the eastern parts of the resource-rich country to normalcy.

The President, who arrived here yesterday, will be leading the SADC Double Troika for the crucial indaba with their EAC counterparts in a unique and extraordinary summit that brings all parties involved in the decades-old conflict to the same table.

Today’s meeting was preceded by a joint meeting of Councils of Ministers from SADC and the EAC which discussed the deteriorating security situation in Eastern DRC, where rebels have gained a foothold, leaving an estimated 2 000 people dead and thousands more displaced.

The Joint SADC-EAC Meeting of Ministers was co-chaired by Zimbabwe’s Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Professor Amon Murwira and Kenya Prime Cabinet and Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Dr Musaila Mudavadi. 

Proffessor Amon Murwira

Prof Murwira said the joint effort involving Southern Africa and East Africa underlines the importance of joint political and  diplomatic efforts for normalcy to prevail in the Eastern DRC.

“It is regrettable that the security and humanitarian crisis in Eastern DRC continues to deteriorate despite the noble efforts through the Luanda and the Nairobi (peace) processes. 

It is heart-breaking that around 400 000 people have been displaced in the city of Goma, this year alone,” said Prof Murwira. 

DRC President Felix Tshisekedi, Rwanda President Paul Kagame, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Somalian President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud are all expected to attend today’s make-or-break talks.

President Félix Tshisekedi

SADC has 16 members and the EAC has eight but DRC, which has been plagued by conflicts for years now, is along with Tanzania a member of both blocs.

Rwanda, which is accused by the DRC of backing the M23 rebels that have taken key towns in Eastern DRC, is a member of EAC. Rwanda stridently denies sponsoring renegades in its neighbouring country.

Yesterday, SADC Executive Secretary Mr Elias Magosi hailed the convening of the Joint Meeting of SADC and EAC as a vital step in the spirit of solidarity and collaboration between members of SADC and EAC in finding a lasting solution to the security situation in the DRC.

The Joint SADC-EAC Summit will be held in fulfilment of the decision of the Extraordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government of January 31 in Harare, where the summit assessed the precarious and fast-evolving security situation in the Eastern DRC, and called for an immediate joint Summit of SADC and EAC to find the best way forward, and a collective approach to the security situation in the DRC.

“Silencing the Guns” is a key initiative within the African Union’s (AU) “Agenda 2063”, a long-term plan aiming to achieve peace and sustainable development across the continent by 2063, to end all wars and violent conflicts in Africa by addressing the root causes of conflict and promoting dialogue-based conflict resolution mechanisms; essentially, it’s a flagship project within Agenda 2063 focused on creating a peaceful Africa through conflict prevention and resolution.

Further, the summit urged political and diplomatic leaders engaged in the conflict to collaborate in a unified dialogue effort. 

This includes backing the Luanda Process and the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) to help restore peace and security in Eastern DRC.

Both the African Union and the United Nations have called for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in DRC, which threatens to throw the whole of the Great Lakes region into a wider conflagration.

Ahead of the joint summit, President Mnangagwa has said he is determined to ensure that guns are silenced in the region.