Uhuru, Obasanjo and Desalegn appointed to lead DRC peace initiative

A summit of heads of State and government from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC) has been held to discuss the peace process in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

This follows a joint summit co-chaired by Emmerson Mnangagwa and President William Ruto on February 2025 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

The heads of state-appointed former president Uhuru Kenyatta, former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo, and Hailemariam Desalegn of Ethiopia as facilitators of the merged Luanda and Nairobi peace processes in eastern DRC.

A meeting of the SADC Chief of Defense Forces on the same subject was also convened In Tanzania. 

Earlier, the EAC, Defense Experts Working Group had held two days of discussions on the situation in Eastern DRC. 

The meeting's key agenda was;  Immediate and unconditional ceasefire and cessation of hostilities, provision of humanitarian assistance, and opening of main supply routes.

During the meeting, they also discussed the development of a securitization plan for Goma and its surroundings and the immediate reopening of Goma Airport.

The heads of state have scheduled a joint ministerial meeting on February 28 to discuss further a ceasefire in the DRC.

All parties involved including the M23 and other armed groups are urged to adhere to the ceasefire agreement announced at the EAC-SADC Summit.