Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina takes over SADC chairmanship amid Congo crisis
Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina has assumed the chairmanship of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), succeeding Zimbabwe's Emmerson Mnangagwa at a summit in Antananarivo.
The meeting, billed under the banner of "industrialisation, agricultural transformation and energy transition," was overshadowed by familiar obstacles: insecurity, trade frictions and the grinding conflict in eastern Congo.
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For years, SADC has invested troops and political capital in the Democratic Republic of Congo, only to see its peacekeepers bloodied by the M23 rebels.
South African, Tanzanian and Malawian soldiers have paid a heavy price, while Kinshasa's authority remains brittle.
In a rare display of regional pragmatism, SADC and the East African Community recently agreed—under the auspices of the African Union—to merge their rival Congo peace talks.
The move, endorsed during a virtual summit hosted by President Mnangagwa and Kenya's President William Ruto, is designed to streamline mediation and reduce duplication.
Fighting between M23 and Congolese forces has intensified even as talks continue in Doha, under Qatari mediation, following the signing of a negotiation framework in July.
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