The EAC-SADC Summit in Tanzania will seek to have a singular voice in the DRC and insist on talks between the government and M23, among other armed groups.
Speaking ahead of the Summit on Saturday, Zimbabwe President Emerson Mnangagwa said there are many voices from the DRC, which undermines its sovereignty.
“DRC is a vast country and one would want to see the central government that is in full control of that vast country. That’s the first step to take.
“Currently, we have various authorities speaking differently in the same country, which I don’t think is the best thing to have in a sovereign country. So as we meet as SADC and EAC leaders, we will probe that question, whether it is possible to make sure there is one voice in one country,” President Mnagangwa, who is the SADC chairman, told reporters on Wednesday.
President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa said he will reiterate the call for a ceasefire and resumption of talks to “find a just and enduring solution”.
DRC President Felix Tshisekedi has sworn not to engage in talks with M23.
On the other hand, SADC countries have contributed forces to fight M23 in eastern Congo.
EAC Secretariat on Friday said the discussions of the Joint EAC-SADC Ministerial meeting centered on the importance of a unified approach to combatting insecurity, with commitments towards joint efforts of the two blocs in conflict resolution, and regional stability.
Somalia Foreign Affairs Minister Ambassador Ahmed Fiqi Ahmed said they will focus on de-escalating the tension, ending the conflict, and ensuring the safety of civilians.
“Somalia, which is a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, is determined to call for a diplomatic solution based on peace and dialogue to manage the current crisis,” Amb Ahmed said on Friday.
Minister Ahmed Fiqi is expected to hold discussions with some of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the countries that are members of the EAC and SADC during the conference.
Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard termed the summit as a watershed moment, saying it was well overdue as the “catastrophic human rights consequences of the country’s armed conflicts have gone on for far too long”.
“Now hundreds of thousands of women, children and men have once again been forced to flee the fighting, enduring dire conditions and desperately trying to stay alive,” Callamard said.
She added that states and intergovernmental organizations such as the EAC, SADC, the African Union, the UN and the EU should intensify their engagement, expose enablers of the current attacks in Goma and beyond, and make it clear that all those suspected of criminal responsibility for the ongoing atrocities will be held to account in fair trials.
“It is high time to ensure accountability for nearly 30 years of crimes under international law committed in the DRC. Failure to seize this moment will only embolden the perpetrators and increase the likelihood of further atrocities.”
The Catholic and Protestant Churches is the DRC have also written to EAC and SADC expressing their wish to lead the “Congolese way out of the crisis” through talks.
The religious leaders in the letter also asked the regional organizations for support in the initiative.
