Kelvin Jakachira in Harare, Zimbabwe
Leaders from the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have appointed more facilitators including former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe of South Africa as they push to resolve the crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The new facilitators were tasked to fast-track the process to bring peace to the eastern DRC.
Motlanthe was named together with Catherine Samba Panza who served as the Central African Republic President between 2014 and 2016 and Sahle-Work Zwelde, former President of Ethiopia.
In appointing members of the panel of facilitators, the joint summit of heads of state from the EAC and SADC, took into account gender, regional and language inclusivity.
The new facilitators will work alongside President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria who had been previously named as facilitators.
The virtual joint summit was co-chaired by SADC chair Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe and Willam Ruto of Kenya.
The meeting adopted a roadmap developed last week by military chiefs from the two blocs which detailed immediate, medium and long term measures to attain sustainable peace and security in DRC.
The military chiefs met last week in the Zimbabwean capital Harare and their meeting was followed by that of respective ministers of foreign affairs and defence.
“The joint summit ordered the commencement of implementation of the (ministerial) report and the roadmap,” reads part of the communique.
The two blocs have previously been mandated by the African Union to take a lead in the process to de-escalate tensions in DRC after M23 rebels overrun the Congolese government forces and a coalition of militia groups, including the genocidal FDLR to capture different territories in the eastern part of the vast country.
The EAC/SADC joint summit directed the co-chairs to convene a briefing session with the panel of facilitators within the next seven days; adding the briefing should be done jointly by SADC, EAC and the African Union.
During the joint summit, Rwanda President Paul Kagame reiterated that his country’s security concerns must also be addressed when dealing with the insecurity in the eastern DRC.
In his intervention, Kagame emphasised that “Rwanda remains concerned about our security, and this must be addressed within the framework of dealing with problems of other countries” including the DRC.
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“When we talk about sovereignty and territorial integrity, it should mean every country. Every country deserves respect for its territorial integrity or its sovereignty,” said Kagame.
“If you want the war to end, you end the injustice, you end political problems for not only your people, but for others, including neighbors, that are affected. I think we are making progress. We are counting on everyone to help make positive contributions towards ending all of this.”
Mnangagwa, the SADC chairperson, applauded the continued peace efforts by the two regional blocs in ending hostilities in eastern DRC.
Ruto, EAC chairperson, President William Ruto, said the joint meetings reflect commitment in finding peace for the people of eastern DRC.
