EAC, SADC Heads of State to discuss again security situation in Eastern DRC

The Heads of State from the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will convene virtually on Monday, March 24, 2025, to discuss the security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This was revealed by Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Amb. Nduhungirehe Olivier, on Sunday evening during the ‘Inkuru mu Makuru’ program on Rwanda Television. The last EAC and SADC Heads of State summit took place on February 8, 2025, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. ALSO READ: President Kagame, Tshisekedi meet in Doha to d

The Heads of State from the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will convene virtually on Monday, March 24, 2025, to discuss the security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This was revealed by Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Amb. Nduhungirehe Olivier, on Sunday evening during the ‘Inkuru mu Makuru’ program on Rwanda Television. The last EAC and SADC Heads of State summit took place on February 8, 2025, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. ALSO READ: President Kagame, Tshisekedi meet in Doha to discuss crisis in Eastern DRC  Minister Nduhungirehe stated that Rwanda welcomes the AFC/M23 rebels’ announcement of their repositioning from Walikale in support of ongoing peace efforts, as well as the DRC government’s declaration to halt all offensive operations by FARDC and Wazalendo groups. “We have issued a statement welcoming some of the recent developments. The AFC/M23 alliance announced their withdrawal from Walikale, followed by a statement from Congolese government forces confirming the suspension of military operations. This gives us hope that discussions within EAC and SADC frameworks will gain momentum,” he said. He emphasized that there is renewed optimism that ongoing talks will be given more opportunity to resolve security challenges in Eastern DRC. “Tomorrow evening, March 24, 2025, a virtual meeting of the EAC and SADC Heads of State will be held to confirm the decisions made by the Ministers [of Defense and Foreign Affairs] during their meeting in Harare, [Zimbabwe], on March 17, 2025,” he added. Nduhungirehe underscored that the ongoing discussions highlight a recognition by both the Congolese government and various armed groups of the need for dialogue to resolve security issues through political means. “We hope that the Congolese government will demonstrate the political will to implement the decisions made during the summit, particularly regarding dialogue with M23,” he said. Recent developments suggest that security challenges in Eastern DRC may be resolved through political dialogue rather than military action. This is reflected in the agreement by Congolese government forces to cease attacks on M23 and M23’s confirmation of its decision to reposition from Walikale, North Kivu Province, which it had seized three days earlier. Additionally, SADC Heads of State recently decided to withdraw their troops from Eastern DRC and terminate the SAMIDRC mission. This decision was reached during an extraordinary virtual meeting on March 13, 2025.