SADC leaders have proposed a joint summit with the East African Community (EAC) to discuss the escalating conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where rebels have seized control of the key city of Goma in the eastern region.
The EAC, which consists of eight countries—Burundi, DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania—has its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
During a summit held in Harare, Zimbabwe, on January 31, SADC leaders reiterated their call for an immediate ceasefire in the DRC. A section of the communiqué from the summit read:
“The summit has called for an urgent joint meeting between SADC and the East African Community (EAC) to discuss the next steps regarding the security crisis in the DRC, as proposed by the 24th Extraordinary Summit of EAC Heads of State on January 29, 2025.”
The call for action comes as Rwanda-backed rebels, notably the M23 group, have advanced further into eastern DRC, capturing Goma, the region’s largest city.
The DRC’s President Félix Tshisekedi, who was absent from last week’s EAC summit, attended the SADC meeting. According to the communiqué, the summit expressed serious concern over the continuing violence and its adverse impact on both the security and humanitarian situation in the DRC. They called for the immediate restoration of essential services, such as water, electricity, and food supply lines.
The summit strongly condemned the attacks on SAMIDRC peacekeeping troops by the M23 group and the Rwandan Defense Forces (RDF), describing the actions as violations of the ceasefire agreement reached through the Luanda Process in July 2024. This, the summit noted, undermines the peace and security efforts in both the DRC and the wider SADC region.
In May 2023, SADC had agreed to deploy peacekeepers to the DRC to support efforts to maintain peace and protect the country’s territorial integrity. However, the communiqué noted that these objectives had not been fully achieved, with rebel forces continuing to make significant territorial gains. Tshisekedi had expelled an EAC peacekeeping force, including Rwandan troops, and sought military support from SADC instead.
South Africa, Malawi, and Tanzania sent troops to assist in the mission, but they were quickly overrun by the rebels, while the poorly-trained DRC military either retreated or surrendered. The communiqué also expressed condolences to the governments of the DRC, South Africa, Malawi, and Tanzania for the loss of soldiers who died during recent attacks in the eastern DRC, while wishing those injured a swift recovery.
Recent reports indicate that M23 rebels are now approximately 60 kilometers from Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu. Since capturing Goma, M23 has taken control of several towns, including key humanitarian hubs that serve the millions of displaced people in the region.
The SADC Extraordinary Summit, held in Harare, was attended by the leaders or representatives from several countries, including Zimbabwe, Botswana, DRC, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Angola, Malawi, and Namibia.
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