EAC, SADC Presidents to Hold Joint Summit on Eastern DRC Conflict

Kenyan President William Ruto, who also chairs the East African Community (EAC), has announced that the joint EAC and Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit on the eastern DRC conflict will be held on Friday and Saturday in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. According to Kenya’s State House, this follows an agreement between SADC Chairman, President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, and EAC Chairperson, President William Ruto. “President Samia Suluhu Hassan has graciously agreed to host the summit to deliberate on the situation in Eastern DRC," President Ruto said on Monday, February 3. H

Kenyan President William Ruto, who also chairs the East African Community (EAC), has announced that the joint EAC and Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit on the eastern DRC conflict will be held on Friday and Saturday in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. According to Kenya’s State House, this follows an agreement between SADC Chairman, President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, and EAC Chairperson, President William Ruto. “President Samia Suluhu Hassan has graciously agreed to host the summit to deliberate on the situation in Eastern DRC," President Ruto said on Monday, February 3. He stated that President Felix Tshisekedi of the DRC and President Paul Kagame of Rwanda have confirmed their attendance at the meeting, which will be preceded by a ministerial session on Friday before the Heads of State convene on Saturday. President Ruto also confirmed that he has engaged President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia, all of whom have confirmed their participation in the extraordinary summit. The confirmation of the summit follows SADC’s acceptance of an EAC request during a meeting hosted by Mnangagwa in Harare on Friday. The discussions were prompted by the M23 rebel group’s capture of Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province, which led Ruto to convene EAC leaders for a virtual session on Thursday. During the virtual summit, EAC Heads of State proposed a joint session with SADC to address the escalating security crisis in eastern DRC. In a post-summit statement, the leaders emphasized the importance of diplomacy in resolving the conflict.