DRC crisis: Sadc steps up peace bid

Rumbidzayi Zinyuke-Senior Reporter

SADC Chairperson, President Mnangagwa will convene an Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government to discuss the escalating security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and deliberate on recommendations from the virtual Extraordinary Organ Troika Summit held on Thursday.

In a communiqué, the SADC Secretariat said the date of the summit, likely to be held in Harare, will be announced soon.

“The outcomes and recommendations from the Extraordinary Organ Troika Summit will be presented to the Extraordinary Summit of SADC Heads of State and Government to be convened soon, on a date to be confirmed”, SADC said.

The virtual Troika Summit, chaired by Tanzanian President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan, in her capacity as chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security Cooperation, focused on strategies to restore peace in the DRC.

It also reviewed the report of the defence sub-committee on the mandate of the SADC Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC).

The meeting was attended by incoming chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security Cooperation Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera, along with Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and DRC President Félix Tshisekedi.

In her opening remarks, Dr Suluhu Hassan reaffirmed SADC’s unwavering commitment to supporting the DRC in its pursuit of peace.

She emphasised the importance of regional solidarity in addressing the ongoing conflict.

“The summit expressed its deepest condolences to the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republics of South Africa and Malawi, and the United Republic of Tanzania for the deceased soldiers who lost their lives during the recent attacks in the Eastern DRC, and while serving under the SAMIDRC, and wished those injured a speedy recovery,” the SADC Secretariat said in a statement.

The SAMIDRC force, deployed in December 2023 to stabilise the conflict-ridden region, has faced growing challenges, including mounting pressure from the M23 rebel advance and increasing troop casualties.

The summit reaffirmed SADC’s commitment to supporting interventions aimed at achieving lasting peace and security in the eastern DRC, in line with the SADC Mutual Defence Pact of 2003, which governs regional security operations.

Despite efforts by SADC and the East African Community (EAC), fighting between Congolese security forces and the M23-led rebel group, has intensified in recent weeks.

The rebels, who had previously entrenched themselves in Goma in North Kivu, have now expanded their presence to the South Kivu capital Bukavu, establishing new administrative structures in the city.

The conflict has fuelled one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, with over 1 million Congolese seeking refuge beyond the country’s borders and about 21 million people within the country in urgent need of medical aid, food, and other essential supplies.

Since the start of last year, nearly 358 000 people have been displaced, with 80 percent of this displacement linked to armed conflict. New UN-verified data also reveals a 30 percent rise in grave violations against children in eastern DRC compared to 2023.