Kagame says that the issues facing DR Congo and Rwanda must be handled together

President Paul Kagame has reaffirmed that addressing the insecurity in DR Congo requires addressing Rwanda’s security issues as well. He was addressing the security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo during the joint East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit, which took place on Monday, March 24.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, who also serves as the Chairperson of SADC, and President William Ruto of Kenya, who chairs the EAC, co-chaired the second virtual meeting of regional leaders. A report submitted at the joint EAC-SADC ministerial meeting on March 17 in Harare, Zimbabwe, was discussed at the joint Summit.

The Presidency claims that the joint summit was held in a constructive environment where important issues were explained and leaders pledged to find a political solution that takes into account each party’s security concerns.

“Rwanda remains concerned about our security, and this must be addressed within the framework of dealing with problems of other countries,” especially DR Congo, Kagame stressed in his statement.

heads of state at the Monday, March 24th, joint summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC).

“Every nation should be included when we discuss sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he stated. Every nation should have its sovereignty and territorial integrity respected.

“Ending the conflict means ending injustice and political issues that affect not just your people but also those of your neighbors and other impacted parties. I believe we are moving forward. We are depending on everyone to contribute in a constructive way to putting an end to this.

One of the main decisions made by the leaders of the two regional blocs during their initial meeting on February 8 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, was to use the Africa-led Luanda and Nairobi peace processes to peacefully resolve the violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Reiterating the importance of the Luanda and Nairobi peace processes, the inaugural joint EAC-SADC summit called for their merger.

Three additional facilitators, all former heads of state from various African nations, were appointed by the heads of state during the most recent summit with the responsibility of expediting the DR Congo pacification process. Former Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zwelde, Catherine Samba Panza of the Central African Republic, and Kgalema Motlanthe of South Africa are the new facilitators.

They will collaborate with Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, who were previously identified as facilitators.

A roadmap created last week by military leaders from the two blocs that outlined short-, medium-, and long-term steps to achieve lasting peace and security in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was also approved by the heads of state, according to the summit communique.