By Patrick Chiriba
East and Southern African leaders have appointed a high-profile mediation team of five former African presidents to mediate the crisis in eastern DRC amid escalating violence.
The joint summit, held on Monday, 24th March 2025, and co-chaired by Kenyan President William Ruto and Zimbabwe’s Emmerson Mnangagwa, brought together Heads of State and Government from the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to address the worsening security situation in the mineral-rich but conflict-ridden region.
The five-member Panel of Facilitators includes former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria), Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Kgalema Motlanthe (South Africa), Catherine Samba-Panza (Central African Republic), and Sahle-Work Zewde (Ethiopia).
The virtual meeting adopted a roadmap from a March 17 ministerial session in Harare, outlining steps for “sustainable peace and security in eastern DRC,” according to the official communiqué.
The communiqué noted their appointment reflects “gender, regional and language inclusivity,” with a directive for a briefing within seven days alongside the AU.
In an X post, President Ruto emphasized the urgency, stating the summit “resolved to expedite the peace process by appointing an expanded panel of 5 facilitators” to pursue a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities.
President Ruto following proceedings during the joint EAC-SADC summit on Monday. (Photo: PCS)
The summit follows prior regional and international efforts, including the February 8 EAC-SADC meeting in Dar es Salaam, the AU Peace and Security Council’s February 14 resolutions, and UN Security Council Resolution 2773 on February 21.
These frameworks have consistently emphasized the need for concerted action to address the eastern DRC crisis, where armed groups, resource conflicts, and displacement have fueled instability for decades.
Recent months have seen a surge in clashes, displacing thousands and drawing regional forces into the fray. The crisis has also strained relations between neighboring nations.
Attendees included DRC President Félix Tshisekedi, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, alongside representatives from Angola, Somalia, and South Sudan, signaling broad support.
The EAC and SADC Secretariats were praised for their preparatory work, with outcomes set to reach the AU and UN.
