KINSHASA: Uhuru, Obasanjo Set To Lead Unified DRC Peace Efforts
The Joint Summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC) declared great progress toward restoring peace and security in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The meeting, co-chaired by Emmerson Mnangagwa, President of Zimbabwe and SADC Chairperson, and William Ruto, President of Kenya and EAC Chairperson, took place in Dar es Salaam on February 8.
This discussion was crucial in dealing with the rising security concerns in the eastern DRC, and the participants reviewed their recent progress toward a resolution.
During the meeting, the two presidents, along with other SADC and EAC heads of state, decided to appoint three prominent facilitators to oversee the peace process.
The newly chosen facilitators are former Kenyan President Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, and former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn Boshe.
ex-Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Nigeria’s Olusegun Obasanjo, and Ethiopia’s Hailemariam Desalegn have been tapped as facilitators for the EAC-SADC peace process in the DRC.
— Mwangi (@MwangiMaina_) February 24, 2025
For Obasanjo, it’s a déjà vu moment—returning to DRC mediation after his 2008 UN stint as the… pic.twitter.com/p5fCcyEY9T
These appointments would combine the formerly distinct Luanda and Nairobi peace processes, reflecting a coordinated effort to enhance stability in the dangerous eastern DRC province.
Preparatory sessions of the EAC Chiefs of Defence Forces (CDFs) were held in Nairobi on February 21, 2025, in compliance with Joint Summit orders.
Similarly, SADC CDFs convened in Dar es Salaam to address regional security issues.
These meetings followed thorough deliberations by the EAC Defense Experts Working Group, which met two days before the CDF meeting.
The deliberations were steered by a set of crucial recommendations aimed at addressing the security and humanitarian situation in eastern DRC.
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This involves an immediate cease-fire, humanitarian assistance, the restoration of critical supply routes, and an emphasis on stabilizing Goma and its surroundings.
The EAC and SADC Chiefs of Defense Forces will hold a combined meeting in Dar es Salaam on February 24, 2025.
This summit will be preceded by a Joint Ministerial summit on February 28, 2025, to discuss additional ceasefire and security measures.
The sessions will be critical in executing the summit’s core instructions, and the peace process is likely to gain momentum as discussions on cease-fire details continue.
KINSHASA: Uhuru, Obasanjo Set To Lead Unified DRC Peace Efforts
