EAC, SADC agree on unified framework to speed up peace process in eastern DRC

East and Southern African leaders have adopted a set of landmark resolutions aimed at accelerating and coordinating peace efforts in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), following a high-level meeting held in Nairobi on Friday.

The meeting was co-chaired by President William Ruto, Chairperson of the East African Community (EAC), and President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). They met with the Panel of Facilitators to deliberate on the security situation in eastern DRC.

The leaders resolved to merge the existing EAC-SADC and African Union (AU) mediation frameworks into a unified structure, comprising the AU Mediator and the EAC-SADC Panel of Facilitators, which will report to both the Joint Summit and the AU. They also agreed to establish a Joint Secretariat based in Addis Ababa, to be led by the AU Commission, bringing together technical staff from the AUC, EAC and SADC.

The meeting further endorsed the consolidation of the terms of reference and related documents for both the AU Mediator and the Panel of Facilitators, to be formally approved by the Joint Summit. It was also resolved that resource mobilisation, including for humanitarian support, will be centralised and coordinated by the AU.

The African Union Commission was tasked with ensuring that all peace initiatives and stakeholders align with the unified African-led process. Leaders also called for an Extraordinary Joint EAC and SADC Summit to be convened virtually within seven days to communicate the outcomes of the Nairobi meeting. In addition, the resolutions are to be formally communicated to all AU member states.

The meeting also adopted key supporting documents, including the framework for merging the Nairobi and Luanda peace tracks, the process design for inclusive mediation, and the proposed structure for an independent secretariat to back the facilitation work.

President Ruto was commended for hosting the meeting, and the preparatory work done by the EAC, SADC and AU Secretariats was also acknowledged.

“We express our gratitude to President Ruto for successfully hosting this meeting in Nairobi, and commend the EAC, SADC and AU Secretariats for their preparatory work,” the leaders said in a joint statement.

In attendance were members of the Panel of Facilitators appointed by the Joint EAC-SADC Summit: Olusegun Obasanjo, Uhuru Kenyatta, Catherine Samba-Panza, Sahle-Work Zewde and Mokgweetsi Eric Masisi, as well as senior officials from the African Union Commission (AUC), EAC and SADC.

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• Democratic Republic of Congo
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• SADC agree on unified framework to speed up peace process in eastern DRC