SADC supports the EAC’s plan to have a combined summit on DR Congo

In a statement released on Friday, January 31, the heads of state and government of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) endorsed the recent proposal from the East African Community (EAC) for the next course of action.

The Extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of SADC, which took place in Harare, Zimbabwe, on January 31 to discuss the security situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a member of both SADC and the EAC, produced this result, among other things.

The communiqué partially states, “The Summit called for an immediate joint Summit of SADC and East African Community (EAC) to deliberate on the way forward regarding the security situation in the DRC as proposed by the 24th Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State of the EAC held on 29th January 2025.”

This comes after the M23 rebel group captured the city of Goma in the war-torn eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

SADC officials have once again charged M23 with attacking their troops in DR Congo as part of an offensive operation, a claim the rebel group has repeatedly refuted.

In an effort to defend the rights of Kinyarwanda-speaking Congolese who have long been oppressed by the DR Congo government, M23 claims it turned to the use of armed force in the conflict.

The rebel group accuses the Congolese army and its supporters of plotting to thwart its operations by breaking ceasefire agreements, including the Luanda peace process.

Foreign troops and mercenaries should not interfere in the battle by obstructing the rebel group’s efforts to defend the rights of its own inhabitants.

In the meantime, the summit demanded that defense ministers, chiefs of defense, and nations that contribute troops be sent to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) right away in order to guarantee the safety of the troops of the Southern African Development Community Mission there and to expedite the repatriation of the troops who have been killed and those who have been injured.

On December 15, 2023, SAMIDRC was sent in to assist the Congolese government army and its alliance, which included the genocidal troops of the FARDC, in their struggle against M23.

Through the Luanda Process, headed by Angolan President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, the African Union Champion for Peace and Reconciliation in Africa, and the Nairobi Process, headed by former President of the Republic of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta, it reaffirmed its support for diplomatic efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

It directed the SADC Organ Troika on Politics, Defense, and Security Cooperation to work with all state and non-state parties to the conflict on a ceasefire mechanism in order to save lives and make it easier for aid to reach those impacted by the violent conflict.

In an effort to bring peace and stability back to the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, it also called on the political and diplomatic leaders involved in the conflict to support MONUSCO, the Luanda Process, and other initiatives.

The Summit was attended by whom? 

The SADC member nations’ heads of state and government, or their representatives, attended the summit.

DR Congo President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina, Mozambican President Daniel Francisco Chapo, South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, Botswana President Advocate Duma Gideon Boko, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, who officially opened and chaired it in his capacity as SADC Chairperson, and many others.

Additionally present were Namibian Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs Frans Kapofi, Malawian Minister of Foreign Affairs Nancy Gladys Tembo, Angolan Minister of External Relations Ambassador Téte António, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, Lesotho Prime Minister Samuel Ntsokoane Matekane, and Eswatini Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla.