East African Community ministers of foreign affairs and defence on Saturday, March 15, underscored the urgent need for a unified regional approach, reinforcing the role of strategic partnerships in advancing peace and stability as they held a consultative meeting focused on the security situation in eastern DR Congo. ALSO READ: FDLR is entrenched in DR Congo Presidential Guard, says Makenga A government army coalition comprising hundreds of European mercenaries, a Rwandan genocidal militia known as FDLR, a group of Congolese militias known as Wazalendo, thousands of Burundian troops, South African-led SADC forces, as well as UN peacekeepers, have worsened the security situation while battling AFC/M23 rebels in eastern DR Congo. Embedded in the Congolese army, FDLR is a terrorist militia founded by remnants of the masterminds of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. ALSO READ: Former Kasai governor on why Tshisekedi could eventually talk to M23 The ministers discussed the roadmap for restoring peace and stability in eastern DR Congo, as well as technical support for the EAC-SADC peace process. According to Musalia Mudavadi, Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, who chaired the meeting, with a shared commitment to addressing emerging security threats, the meeting explored diplomatic and operational interventions to support lasting solutions. ALSO READ: Why genocide ideology doesn’t dissolve three decades after dispersion of genocidaires “The recommendations from this session will shape the next steps in our collective response to the evolving situation,” Mudavadi said in a post on X, adding that their engagement sets the stage for the upcoming joint ministerial session scheduled for March 17 in Harare, Zimbabwe. I chaired a consultative meeting of EAC Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence, focusing on the security situation in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Our discussions underscored the urgent need for a unified regional approach, reinforcing the role of strategic... pic.twitter.com/ut179SUqFF — Musalia W Mudavadi (@MusaliaMudavadi) March 15, 2025 Foreign minister Amb Olivier Nduhungirehe said that during the meeting convened ahead the March 17 joint EAC-SADC ministerial meeting, “we endorsed the recommendations of the joint EAC-SADC meeting of Chiefs of Defense Forces/Staff, held in Dar Es Salaam on 24 February 2025, related to the cessation of hostilities/ceasefire and on the humanitarian access. “We also exchanged on the roadmap for the political dialogue, under the merged Luanda/Nairobi process, to be facilitated by a panel of former African Heads of State and Government.” The latest fighting between the Congolese army coalition and M23 rebels started in 2021. M23 is now part of a larger rebel coalition, Alliance fleuve Congo (AFC), created in December 2023. Led by Corneille Nangaa, the former chairman of the DR Congo national electoral commission (CENI), AFC is fighting for governance that supports basic human rights, secures all Congolese citizens, and addresses the root causes of conflict. VIDEO: Corneille Nangaa on capture of Goma, FDLR, and march to Kinshasa The rebellion has vowed to uproot tribalism, nepotism, corruption, and genocide ideology, among other vices, widespread in DR Congo. ALSO READ: M23 are no terrorists, the Congolese army is – say Bukavu residents In January, the rebels quickly advanced across North and South Kivu provinces, liberating swathes of territory. Following heavy fighting triggered by constant violations by the Congolese army coalition, of an earlier set ceasefire, on January 27, the rebels captured Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province, and restore order there. As the security situation in South Kivu deteriorated amid reports of violence, looting, and abuses propagated by the Congolese army coalition, the rebels again reacted, first capturing the strategic airport of Kavumu, before moving south to capture the regional capital, Bukavu, on February 15. ALSO READ: SADC summit terminates mandate of military mission in DR Congo Lately, a SADC summit on March 13 terminated the mandate of the regional bloc’s military mission in eastern DR Congo and “directed the commencement of a phased withdrawal” of its troops from the country. This came a day after it was announced that direct peace talks between AFC/M23 rebels and the Congolese government are set to start in Luanda, Angola, on March 18. The rebels, however, among other things, announced that they need to see Tshisekedi publically and unequivocally expressing his commitment to “direct negotiations with our organiation.” COMMUNIQUÉ OFFICIEL DE L’ALLIANCE FLEUVE CONGO DU 13 MARS 2025 Il est essentiel de considérer avec responsabilité l’intransigeance constante du régime de Kinshasa, qui affirme publiquement et de manière répétée qu’il ne négociera JAMAIS avec notre organisation. Les récentes... pic.twitter.com/6GngFLVoTt — Lawrence KANYUKA (@LawrenceKanyuka) March 13, 2025 Peaceful resolution of the conflict in eastern DR Congo through the Luanda and Nairobi peace processes, are among the key resolutions of the joint EAC-SADC leaders meeting held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on February 8. ALSO READ: Museveni reiterates call for Tshisekedi to ‘speak directly’ with M23 rebels Another key element was the EAC-SADC leaders’ call for the implementation of an earlier approved harmonised plan for the neutralisation of FDLR, a DR Congo-based terrorist militia founded by remnants of the masterminds of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. The genocidal militia poses an existential threat to Rwanda, the entire region, and especially the Congolese Tutsi communities it has been persecuting in eastern DR Congo, resulting in the ongoing crisis in the region. ALSO READ: How Tshisekedi scuttled FDLR neutralisation plan at last minute The joint EAC-SADC summit, the first of its kind, emphasised that political and diplomatic engagement is the most sustainable solution to the conflict in eastern DR Congo and directed the two regional economic blocs’ respective chiefs of defence forces to meet within five days and provide technical direction on six key things including immediate and unconditional ceasefire and cessation of hostilities.
