President William Ruto, on Monday evening, co-chaired a virtual Joint Summit aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The meeting, co-chaired by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, was a follow-up to the February 8, 2025, joint session held in Dar es Salaam.
It brought together the Heads of State and Government of the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The Summit resolved to expedite the peace process by appointing five former presidents to an expanded panel of facilitators. The appointed facilitators are former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria), Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Kgalema Motlanthe (South Africa), Catherine Samba Panza (Central African Republic), and Sahle-Work Zewde (Ethiopia).
The Summit also adopted the report on the outcomes of the joint EAC-SADC meeting of ministers held on March 17, 2025, in Harare. It included the report from the joint meeting of Chiefs of Defence and the roadmap detailing the implementation measures to attain sustainable peace and security in Eastern DRC.
The Summit directed the swift implementation of the report by the relevant parties and called for the co-chairs to convene a briefing session with the panel of facilitators within the next seven days. The briefing, as stated, should be conducted jointly by SADC, EAC, and the African Union.
President Ruto emphasized that leaders from the two regional blocs are committed to addressing the escalating conflict, which has led to the loss of lives, displacement of thousands, and a devastating humanitarian crisis. He noted that the situation poses a great danger, not only to the DRC but to the stability of the entire region.
He also warned that the conflict has the potential to spill over into neighboring countries, destabilizing both the EAC and SADC regions.
President Ruto commended Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Felix Tshisekedi of the DRC for their commitment to resolving the conflict, citing a face-to-face meeting between them last week.
“This is a clear demonstration on their part that they are equally committed to resolving the conflict in Eastern DRC,” he said.
The Heads of State and Government who participated in the joint summit were Presidents Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi, Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania, Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, Andry Rajoelina of Madagascar, Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia, Tshisekedi of the DRC, Kagame of Rwanda, Évariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi, and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda.
Also present were Somalia’s Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, Téte António, Minister of External Relations of Angola, and the Minister of East African Community Affairs of South Sudan, Deng Alor Kuol.
