Online Reporter
Wallace Ruzvidzo
SADC and the East African Community (EAC) are completing the development of a framework that will see the merging of the Luanda and Nairobi processes and the terms of reference to be conveyed by Presidents Mnangagwa and Kenya’s William Ruto to the recently appointed facilitators, which will lead peace efforts in the conflict-ridden Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Both leaders of the two regional blocs will lead a high-level meeting spelling out the mandate to the appointed facilitators “very soon”.
Letters of appointment have since been sent to former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, former Central African Republic President Catherine Samba Panza and former Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde, pending their confirmation of availability.
Responding to a question posed by our sister paper, The Herald at yesterday’s post-Cabinet media briefing held in Harare, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Professor Amon Murwira, said the merging of the Luanda and Nairobi processes as well as the development of the terms of reference was almost complete.
The Luanda Process was established as part of the 2022 Luanda Roadmap, aimed at defusing tensions between Rwanda and the DRC, while the Nairobi Process is a regional peace initiative aimed at resolving the conflict in the Eastern parts of the DRC.
“They (appointed panel) have to respond affirming that they are available and the terms of reference are being developed by SADC and EAC and these terms of reference are about to be finished.
“There is also a framework document that is going to be produced, joining the Rwanda and the Nairobi processes.
“As you know, the Rwanda process is the one that is trying to mediate between DRC and Rwanda as states and the Nairobi process is the one that is trying to bring the Congolese together, the warring Congolese people together.
“So these are going to be merged and then be led by the facilitation teams, or the facilitation team that has been suggested and this is to happen soon,” he said.
The convening of the High-level meeting to be held by Presidents Mnangagwa and Ruto had a seven-day framework, which ended yesterday, hence Prof Murwira said it would be convened “very soon”, once due procedures have been completed.
“. . . the completion of the process was supposed to be in seven days, the completion of the process of doing this, and the seventh day is today (yesterday).
“Their Excellencies will definitely meet very soon with the facilitators in order to brief them on the task ahead, brief them on the expectation, which is the terms of reference, brief them on the framework that is the Rwanda and Nairobi process framework, but at the same time involve the African Union, in that process.
“So, all these preparations are being met and we expect that meeting to occur very soon, having fulfilled these conditions that I talked about; the submission of the letters appointing the facilitators, the response of those facilitators, the completion of the framework document joining the Rwanda and the Nairobi process, as well as the terms of reference that are required for that meeting to take place,” he said.
“So it’s going to happen very soon, and very soon means very soon.”
