Leaders from the East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) have called for the Washington and Doha peace initiatives to be merged with African-led mediation, as they continue work towards peace in eastern DR Congo. ALSO READ: Kagame attends EAC-SADC summit on DR Congo crisis The leaders of the two blocs convened virtually on August 13 in an Extraordinary Joint Summit on DR Congo’s security crisis, co-chaired by Kenyan President William Ruto, and his Zimbabwean counterpart Emmerson Mnangagwa, in their capacities as EAC and SADC chairpersons respectively. It was attended by heads of state and representatives from Rwanda, DR Congo, Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Angola, Madagascar, Malawi, South Sudan, and Somalia participated. The meeting commended President Paul Kagame and DR Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi, signatories of the June 27 peace agreement, for “embracing the route of dialogue” in addressing the crisis. The agreement signed in Washington DC focuses on neutralising the FDLR, a militia founded by perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, and the lifting of Rwanda’s defensive measures, among other components. EAC and SADC leaders emphasised that the Washington and Doha peace initiatives must align with the African-led process. A joint communique seen by The New Times noted that the leaders “welcomed the ongoing initiatives of the Washington Accord 2025 and Doha Declaration of Principles of 2025 and called for complementarity with the African-led process.” ALSO READ: EAC, SADC leaders approve harmonised plan for FDLR neutralisation The summit appointed former Botswana President Eric Mokgweetsi Masisi to the Panel of Facilitators steering the mediation process. It also endorsed a framework to merge the Nairobi and Luanda processes, a resource mobilisation plan, and a blueprint for an inclusive mediation structure. Leaders resolved to seek for the unification of the EAC-SADC and AU structures into a single joint mechanism reporting to both the Joint EAC-SADC Summit and the AU. The AU Commission, EAC, and SADC secretariats will be consolidated into a Joint Secretariat led from Addis Ababa by the AU Commission. ALSO READ: DR Congo crisis: Museveni reiterates call for Tshisekedi to ‘speak directly’ with M23 rebels They also tasked the African Union (AU) Commission with leading the implementation of agreed terms of reference for the mediation panel, coordinating humanitarian and resource mobilisation, and communicating outcomes to all AU member states. Mandated to oversee the implementation of the summit’s decisions, the EAC-SADC co-chairs will continue guiding the process towards what leaders hope will be lasting peace and stability in eastern DR Congo. The summit also reaffirmed earlier resolutions from the February and March 2025 joint meetings and the AU Peace and Security Council, all of which underscored the urgency of tackling the worsening security situation in the region. Appreciation was also expressed to the EAC and SADC chairpersons for their leadership and to the AU, EAC, and SADC secretariats for their preparatory work.
