The East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government have called for swift action to address the escalating security crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
In a virtual summit co-chaired by President William Ruto and Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the leaders adopted a report of the EAC-SADC ministers that outlines steps to ceasefire, cessation of hostilities and the setting up of a secretariat to monitor implementation of the decisions of the joint summit.
During the meeting, President Ruto reaffirmed the regional blocs’ commitment to resolving the crisis warning that the conflict poses a growing threat to regional security.
“The situation in eastern DRC is a source of concern not just for DRC as a country but all of us in the EAC and SADC because it has the potential to spill over into our countries with serious consequences of displacement and insecurity,” President Ruto said during the session.
“We are taking steps to see to it that we do everything we can to resolve the issues in eastern DRC,” he added.
The summit further appointed an expanded high-level panel of facilitators to oversee the peace process, including former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, former Central African Republic President Catherine Samba Panza, and former Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde.
EAC and SADC Secretariats have been tasked with notifying the facilitators of their appointment and relaying the summit’s resolutions to both the AU and the UN.
Additionally, the co-chairs of the summit were directed to convene a briefing session within seven days to align efforts between the appointed panel, regional blocs, and the AU.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is currently experiencing a deepening security crisis, particularly in its eastern regions due to the resurgence of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group.
Since January 2025, M23 has intensified its military operations, capturing strategic locations such as Goma and Bukavu, key cities in North and South Kivu provinces.
