YESTERDAY, leaders from two regional blocs — the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC) — huddled together in a room in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to hash out a solution to the bloodshed and strife that currently afflicts the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The African Union was also represented by commission chairperson Dr Mussa Faki Mahamat.
It was as unprecedented as it was historic.
But most importantly, it highlighted the practicality of African solutions to African problems.
The problem in the eastern DRC is not easy, and certainly not an easy one to solve.
It involves a motley of both state and non-state actors.
For example, the DRC, Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi are part of the state actors involved in the political theatre playing out in that region.
The non-state actors include the M23 (March 23 Movement), a rebel group primarily composed of ethnic Tutsis, which has been one of the most prominent armed groups in the region.
Of late, it has been involved in significant clashes with the FARDC (the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo).
A Ugandan rebel group, the ADF (Allied Democratic Forces), has also been active in the eastern DRC for decades, and so, too, has the (FDLR), a Hutu-led rebel group with roots in the Rwandan genocide, as well as various Mai-Mai militias, which are local defence groups that have been formed to protect their communities but have often become involved in broader conflicts.
The list is not exhaustive.
It is one big political mess.
So, the Heads of State and Government who gathered in Tanzania yesterday faced a vary onerous and unenviable task, and one, according to SADC chairperson President Mnangagwa, which requires bold and decisive action.
“Your Excellencies, this historic summit of our two regional blocs is testament to our shared commitment to the founding values of the African Union.
“Such joint initiatives must see us scale up bold and decisive actions to silence the guns on our continent but immediately implement lasting solutions to the escalating conflict and humanitarian crisis in the eastern DRC,” said President Mnangagwa during his address at the opening session of the joint indaba.
“Undoubtedly, ongoing instability, growing hostilities and the ever-increasing number of internally displaced persons in the eastern DRC has far-reaching consequences, not only for the people of DRC alone, but also for our regions and the African continent as a whole.
“The unity, solidarity and unbreakable bonds of the peoples of the continent must stand the test of such trying times as we face.”
Indeed, the continent has an unbreakable bond that was crystallised by the founding of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963, which played a pivotal role in decolonising Africa.
So, yesterday’s joint indaba was hugely significant insofar as it demonstrated the resolve, dedication and unity of leaders of the region to confront the most difficult challenge facing the world today.
The outcomes from the summit further concretised joint regional efforts to resolve the DRC crisis.
In particular, the summit directed the joint meeting of ministers of SADC and EAC to convene within 30 days to, among other things, deliberate on the establishment of the secretariat level technical coordination to monitor the implementation of the joint summit decisions, as well as address the residual issues relating to the attainment of sustainable peace and security in the eastern DRC and make recommendations to the next joint meeting of the SADC-EAC Summit.
In other words, what we are beginning to see is the establishment of a platform for future joint collaboration between the two regional blocs.
Beyond the DRC crisis, the joint summit provides a framework for future unity of the continent, whose shared aspirations are to promote and deepen intra- and inter-regional trade, as well as people-to-people relations and exchanges.
Already, the African Continental Free Trade Area is becoming a reality in our lifetime.
Overall, the leaders of the two regional blocs should be applauded for planting the seeds of the envisaged future unity of the continent that we so much desire and deserve.
As President Mnangagwa said in Tanzania yesterday, “we cannot let the peoples of our regions down”.
We owe it to posterity to deliver a united, peaceful and prosperous Africa.
Joint summit a harbinger for a united Africa
YESTERDAY, leaders from two regional blocs — the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC) — huddled together in a room in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to hash out a solution to the bloodshed and strife that currently afflicts the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The African Union was also represented by commission chairperson Dr Mussa Faki Mahamat.
It was as unprecedented as it was historic.
But most importantly, it highlighted the practicality of African solutions to African problems.
The problem in the eastern DRC is not easy, and certainly not an easy one to solve.
It involves a motley of both state and non-state actors.
For example, the DRC, Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi are part of the state actors involved in the political theatre playing out in that region.
The non-state actors include the M23 (March 23 Movement), a rebel group primarily composed of ethnic Tutsis, which has been one of the most prominent armed groups in the region.
Of late, it has been involved in significant clashes with the FARDC (the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo).
A Ugandan rebel group, the ADF (Allied Democratic Forces), has also been active in the eastern DRC for decades, and so, too, has the (FDLR), a Hutu-led rebel group with roots in the Rwandan genocide, as well as various Mai-Mai militias, which are local defence groups that have been formed to protect their communities but have often become involved in broader conflicts.
The list is not exhaustive.
It is one big political mess.
So, the Heads of State and Government who gathered in Tanzania yesterday faced a vary onerous and unenviable task, and one, according to SADC chairperson President Mnangagwa, which requires bold and decisive action.
“Your Excellencies, this historic summit of our two regional blocs is testament to our shared commitment to the founding values of the African Union.
“Such joint initiatives must see us scale up bold and decisive actions to silence the guns on our continent but immediately implement lasting solutions to the escalating conflict and humanitarian crisis in the eastern DRC,” said President Mnangagwa during his address at the opening session of the joint indaba.
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“Undoubtedly, ongoing instability, growing hostilities and the ever-increasing number of internally displaced persons in the eastern DRC has far-reaching consequences, not only for the people of DRC alone, but also for our regions and the African continent as a whole.
“The unity, solidarity and unbreakable bonds of the peoples of the continent must stand the test of such trying times as we face.”
Indeed, the continent has an unbreakable bond that was crystallised by the founding of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963, which played a pivotal role in decolonising Africa.
So, yesterday’s joint indaba was hugely significant insofar as it demonstrated the resolve, dedication and unity of leaders of the region to confront the most difficult challenge facing the world today.
The outcomes from the summit further concretised joint regional efforts to resolve the DRC crisis.
In particular, the summit directed the joint meeting of ministers of SADC and EAC to convene within 30 days to, among other things, deliberate on the establishment of the secretariat level technical coordination to monitor the implementation of the joint summit decisions, as well as address the residual issues relating to the attainment of sustainable peace and security in the eastern DRC and make recommendations to the next joint meeting of the SADC-EAC Summit.
In other words, what we are beginning to see is the establishment of a platform for future joint collaboration between the two regional blocs.
Beyond the DRC crisis, the joint summit provides a framework for future unity of the continent, whose shared aspirations are to promote and deepen intra- and inter-regional trade, as well as people-to-people relations and exchanges.
Already, the African Continental Free Trade Area is becoming a reality in our lifetime.
Overall, the leaders of the two regional blocs should be applauded for planting the seeds of the envisaged future unity of the continent that we so much desire and deserve.
As President Mnangagwa said in Tanzania yesterday, “we cannot let the peoples of our regions down”.
We owe it to posterity to deliver a united, peaceful and prosperous Africa.
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