President Kagame is in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania where he joins Heads of State from the East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) for a joint summit on the security situation in eastern DRC.
A high-stakes joint summit of the EAC and the SADC officially kicked off in Tanzania this Saturday, with regional leaders demanding an immediate ceasefire in the escalating conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The summit, hosted by Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, has brought together key EAC and SADC leaders. Meanwhile, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi is attending virtually, with Prime Minister Judith Suminwa representing him in person.
In her opening remarks, the Tanzanian president Samia Suluhu Hassan stressed the urgency of restoring peace. “The ongoing violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo threatens not just Congo but the entire region. This summit must produce decisive actions for peace and security,” she said.
President William Ruto of Kenya, who serves as the Chairperson of the EAC, has emphasized the need to resolve the DRC crisis through dialogue rather than relying on a military solution.
The leaders are expected to discuss both diplomatic and military interventions, including the possibility of a reinforced regional peacekeeping force.
The joint SADC-EAC Summit was preceded by Senior Officials and Foreign Ministers Meetings taking place on 06 and 07 February 2025.
But the EAC and the SADC have differing views on solutions to the conflict. SADC, comprising 16 member States including South Africa, Tanzania, Malawi who deployed troops as part of the SADC mission in DRC and Angola who is the African Union mediator, has taken a hardline stance in backing Kinshasa militarily.
In contrast, the EAC, which includes Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, South Sudan, and Somalia, has struggled to maintain unity on the issue, with divisions over engagement with the M23 rebels; a solution that Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi has so far refused to consider. This led him to replace the EAC’s peacekeeping force in the DRC with that of the SADC
In a significant development, M23 announced a ceasefire starting February 4, 2025, citing humanitarian concerns in the eastern DRC. The group condemned the Congolese army (FARDC) for what it described as the reckless use of military aircraft targeting civilians in areas under its control.
M23 clarified that it has no intention of capturing Bukavu or expanding its territorial hold and reaffirmed its commitment to protecting civilians. It also called for the immediate withdrawal of SAMIDRC (SADC Mission in the DRC) forces, arguing that their mission is no longer justified. (End)