DRC crisis . . .Troops exit triggers second joint summit

Debra Matabvu

JUST days after the termination of the SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC), regional leaders are set to convene with their counterparts from the East African Community (EAC) for a second summit aimed at resolving the security crisis in that country.

At their extraordinary virtual summit in Harare on Thursday last week, chaired by President Mnangagwa, SADC leaders ordered the immediate withdrawal of troops from the DRC under their SAMIDRC mission.

SADC had deployed troops from Tanzania, Malawi and South Africa to help contain the raging conflict pitting DRC government forces and armed group M23 in the eastern Congo.

The conflict has left thousands of people dead, with millions, including women, children, the elderly and the disabled, displaced.

In preparation for the second joint high-level SADC-EAC Heads of State and Government Summit, ministers from both regions will meet in Harare tomorrow to lay the groundwork, where they will set the date and the venue.

The SADC-EAC leaders’ summit is part of ongoing joint regional efforts to enforce a sustainable ceasefire and end hostilities in the conflict-ridden eastern DRC region.

SADC and EAC are developing a comprehensive framework for fostering sustainable dialogue between the warring parties in the DRC and finding a sustainable solution to the raging and long-drawn conflict.

The leaders resolved to give a chance to non-military solutions to end hostilities in the Great Lakes region.

In his closing remarks at the SADC extraordinary virtual summit on Thursday, President Mnangagwa said: “On the basis of well-considered factors and reflections on the initial mandate, this Extraordinary SADC Summit has made the bold decision to withdraw our mission from the eastern DRC.

“The withdrawal of SAMIDRC notwithstanding, our august regional body will remain seized with the political and security situation in eastern DRC.”

President Mnangagwa called for the implementation of decisions made at the first joint SADC-EAC meeting.

On the joint ministers’ meeting in Harare tomorrow, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Permanent Secretary Ambassador Albert Chimbindi said: “The joint SADC-EAC Council of Ministers meeting will be held on March 17 and this meeting will then come up with a date for the joint Heads of State and Government summit.”

He said both regional blocs had already begun implementing resolutions from previous meetings, including those of their Chiefs of Defence Forces (CDFs).

The EAC CDFs met in Nairobi, Kenya, on February 21, while their SADC counterparts held a similar meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

In a statement, the SADC Secretariat confirmed the ministerial meeting scheduled for tomorrow.

“The Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC) on March 17, 2025 will hold their joint meeting of the Council of Ministers to discuss the security situation in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo in Harare, Republic of Zimbabwe,” said the body.

The crisis in the eastern DRC has drawn international attention, with the United Nations Security Council recently commending SADC and EAC for their mediation efforts.

The UN strongly condemned the ongoing M23 rebel offensive and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities.

The Security Council further demanded that M23 withdraw from all occupied areas, dismantle its parallel administrations and cease all activities undermining peace in the DRC.

It also called on the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) to halt support for M23 and withdraw from Congolese territory without conditions.

SAMIDRC suffered some setbacks after at least 19 soldiers from South Africa, Malawi and Tanzania, who were part of the peacekeeping contingent, were killed when the M23 captured the region’s biggest city, Goma, in January.