NAIROBI, Kenya March 25 – President William Ruto on Monday evening co-chaired a virtual Joint Summit of East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government, focusing on resolving the conflict in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Co-chaired by Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the summit followed up on the February 8, 2025, joint meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
The leaders resolved to fast-track the peace process by appointing five former presidents to an expanded panel of facilitators: Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria), Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Kgalema Motlanthe (South Africa), Catherine Samba Panza (Central African Republic), and Sahle-Work Zewde (Ethiopia). Their selection ensures gender, regional, and linguistic inclusivity.
The summit adopted reports from the EAC-SADC ministerial meeting on March 17 in Harare, Zimbabwe, including recommendations from the Chiefs of Defence and a roadmap outlining immediate, medium, and long-term measures for sustainable peace and security in Eastern DRC.
It directed the immediate implementation of these measures and called on the co-chairs to convene a briefing session with the panel of facilitators within seven days, to be conducted jointly by SADC, EAC, and the African Union.
President Ruto reiterated regional leaders’ commitment to addressing the escalating conflict, which has led to loss of lives, displacement of tens of thousands, and a worsening humanitarian crisis. He warned that the instability threatens not only the DRC but the entire region.
He commended Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Félix Tshisekedi of DRC for their recent face-to-face meeting, describing it as a significant step toward resolving the crisis.
“This is a clear demonstration of their commitment to ending the conflict in Eastern DRC,” Ruto said.
The summit was attended by Presidents Lazarus Chakwera (Malawi), Samia Suluhu Hassan (Tanzania), Cyril Ramaphosa (South Africa), Andry Rajoelina (Madagascar), Hakainde Hichilema (Zambia), Tshisekedi (DRC), Kagame (Rwanda), Évariste Ndayishimiye (Burundi), and Yoweri Museveni (Uganda).
Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, Angola’s Minister of External Relations Téte António, and South Sudan’s Minister of EAC Affairs Deng Alor Kuol also participated.
