Mudavadi pushes for unified African response to Eastern DRC crisis

Kenya's Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has called for renewed, unified African efforts to address the spiralling security and humanitarian crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), warning that the situation risks slipping further out of control without urgent regional intervention.

Speaking at a joint ministerial meeting between the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in Harare, Mudavadi urged both blocs to fast-track the merger of the Luanda and Nairobi peace processes into a single, coherent initiative.

"We need to accelerate a unified process to avoid duplication of outcomes geared towards the same goal," he said, adding that immediate, medium and long-term resource mobilisation was necessary to support the peace agenda.

The conflict in eastern DRC, he noted, continues to "mutate into other forms of threats to human security and dignity," including widespread sexual violence, the illicit trafficking of natural resources, and the erosion of state authority by foreign and local armed groups.

"The rising humanitarian toll calls for urgent regional and international intervention... It is high time the consolidation and adoption of key resolutions takes place before the situation further runs out of control," he said.

He reiterated Kenya's stance on a non-partisan, African-led political solution. "We need mechanisms where African problems get African solutions. Many countries outside Africa are now focused on their own issues — this is a wake-up call for us."

Notably, Mudavadi condemned the influence of foreign militaries, mercenaries, and unilateral sanctions by Western powers, particularly against Rwanda, saying such actions undermine the sovereignty of DRC and the authority of African institutions.

"We must uphold the territorial integrity of DRC and minimise the influence of extra-African actors," he added.

The meeting backed the establishment of a Joint AU/EAC/SADC Coordination Mechanism and endorsed UN Security Council Resolution 2773, which supports African-led peace efforts.

Discussions also centred on appointing a panel of high-level African facilitators — former leaders Uhuru Kenyatta, Olusegun Obasanjo, and Hailemariam Desalegn — with calls for a fourth female facilitator from SADC to join the mediation team.

"We are looking to the African Union to support resource mobilization capacities and access to peace funds for this process," Mudavadi concluded.

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