Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has reiterated that there is no competition between the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC) concerning the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Speaking at the conclusion of the 38th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Mudavadi noted that both regional blocs are collaborating to develop a unified strategy for addressing the security situation in the DRC.
“Let’s not view this as a conflict between two regional blocs. The war is not between the EAC and SADC; there is no competition between them. It is a matter of harmonizing processes. That is why we have the Nairobi and Luanda processes. We will report to the AU eventually,” said Mudavadi who is also Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary
He insists that the two blocs are united in their mission to help restore peace and stability in the country while preventing a larger humanitarian crisis. He emphasised that the EAC and SADC are focused on collective action to tackle the pressing challenges posed by the conflict in eastern DRC.
“We wanted to have a holistic view because this conflict is consuming both the SADC and the EAC. We are coming together so that we can all read from the same page,” he stated.
Mudavadi explained that each bloc has its mandate clearly defined, alleviating concerns over their respective roles in the DRC’s security situation.
This, he said, was the rationale behind the recent joint summit held by the two blocs in Dar es Salaam.
“The Luanda Process is about the relations that are interstate, between DRC and Rwanda. The Nairobi Process is intra-state, bringing together the various groups, including the M23 so that there can be dialogue between these groups. These processes feed into each other,” he added.
The Joint Summit expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in Eastern DRC, which has resulted in loss of lives and created a humanitarian crisis affecting particularly women and children.
It further directed the resumption of direct negotiations and dialogue with all state and non-state parties, including the M23, under the framework of the Luanda/Nairobi process.
