Online Reporter
WE publish below President Mnangagwa’s remarks during the opening session of the historic joint Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC) Heads of State and Government Summit on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, yesterday.
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Your Excellency, Dr William Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and chairperson of the East African Community and co-chair of this summit;
Your Excellency, Dr Samir Hassan, President of the United Republic of Tanzania and chairperson of the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation;
Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government from our regional bodies;
Honourable ministers who are here;
The SADC Executive Secretary, His Excellency Elias Magosi;
The EAC Secretary-General, Her Excellency Mrs Veronica Nduva;
Comrades and friends;
IT IS my distinct honour and privilege to make these remarks of welcome to this historic gathering.
Firstly, may I express my heartfelt gratitude to you my dear sister and colleague, Your Excellency President Dr Samir Hassan, along with the government and people of the United Republic of Tanzania, for the warm welcome and gracious hospitality extended to my delegation since our arrival in this beautiful city of Dar es Salaam.
In the same spirit, I also extend sincere appreciation to my dear brother, Your Excellency, President William Ruto, for your astute leadership for the East African Community and for agreeing to meet at short notice.
Equally, our respective secretariats, senior officials and council of ministers are commended for their diligent work in preparation for this joint summit.
Your efforts have laid a solid foundation for our discussions today.
Allow me, on behalf of SADC, the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe, and indeed on my own behalf, to once again convey heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathies to the member states and families of the brave peacekeepers who lost their lives in the service of the people of the DRC and indeed the cause of peace.
We also recognise the loss of civilian lives and livelihoods that has resulted from the increased insecurity and insurgency in the eastern DRC.
Our prayers continue to be made for the affected families and the communities.
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.
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.
We must remain as solidly united as we were during the struggle for complete emancipation and independence of Africa from colonialism. We thus have a duty and a collective responsibility to comprehensively, frankly tackle and address the various challenges that are impeding the realisation of peace and security for the people of eastern DRC.
Drawing from our rich African values and heritage, and further emboldened by the spirit and letter of the United Nations Charter, the Constitutive Act of the African Union, as well as the treaties of both SADC and the EAC, let us seize this opportunity to ensure convergence and a coordinated response which is mutually reinforcing towards one common objective.
I, thus, challenge all of us to approach the agenda before us with openness, honesty, flexibility and commitment to building lasting peace for our Mother Africa.
The all-encompassing interests of the people of the DRC must be at the core of our deliberations. Let us do much more to realise sustainable peace in our sister republic of the DRC in our lifetime.
To date, SADC notes and acknowledges the progress made under the Rwanda and Nairobi processes aimed at silencing the guns, as well as facilitating dialogue among all parties to the conflict.
This summit, therefore, should leap us forward towards a concrete road map to help resolve the ongoing crisis.
As the leaders entrusted to nurture and facilitate unity, peace and development in this era, we cannot let the peoples of our regions down.
Their hope is in us here.
The SADC bloc remains unwavering and committed to continue playing its part . . . I thank you.
Asante Sana.
Tatenda.
Tinaye Agere