Joint EAC-SADC summit endorses unified African-led mediation in eastern DRC #rwanda #RwOT

Co-chaired by President William Ruto of Kenya, Chairperson of the EAC, and President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, Chairperson of SADC, the summit brought together leaders and representatives from 13 countries, including President Paul Kagame and his DRC counterpart Félix Tshisekedi.

The gathering aimed to accelerate progress on peace and security in the troubled eastern DRC region, where the AFC/M23 rebels are in conflict with Tshisekedi's administration.

A statement released on Friday indicated that the summit recalled earlier decisions of the 1st and 2nd Joint EAC-SADC Summits, African Union Peace and Security Council resolutions, and UN Security Council Resolution 2773, all emphasising the need for coordinated, African-led efforts to stabilise the region.

As part of the outcomes, former Botswana President H.E. Dr. Mokgweetsi Masisi was appointed to the Panel of Facilitators, which will guide mediation efforts under a consolidated mandate. The summit also approved key enabling documents, including a framework merging the Nairobi and Luanda processes, a proposed structure for an independent secretariat, and a resource mobilisation plan to support the initiative.

The summit endorsed the immediate consolidation of technical secretariats from the AU, EAC, and SADC into a Joint Secretariat led by the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa. This unified structure will ensure that the AU mediator and the EAC-SADC Panel of Facilitators operate under a coordinated African-led mandate.

Leaders further welcomed ongoing initiatives, such as the Washington Accord 2025 between Rwanda and the DRC and the Doha Declaration of Principles 2025 between the DRC and the AFC/M23 rebels, and called for their alignment with the African-led mediation process. They also urged the immediate mobilisation of humanitarian and other resources under AU coordination.

The summit commended Presidents Tshisekedi and Kagame for embracing dialogue and expressed appreciation to the AU, EAC, and SADC secretariats for their preparatory work.

The Joint EAC-SADC Co-Chairs were tasked with overseeing implementation of the summit's decisions to ensure lasting peace and security in eastern DRC.

The Heads of State and Government of the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) endorsed a unified African-led mediation process during an Extraordinary Joint Summit held virtually on Thursday evening.