The government of Zimbabwe, under President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who currently chairs the Southern African Development Community (SADC), is set to host an extraordinary summit on the security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Friday.
According to IOL, this follows an East African Community (EAC) summit held earlier in the week, where leaders discussed political solutions to the ongoing instability in the DRC, which has plagued the region for years.
Zimbabwe’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Prof Amon Murwira, shared in a video posted by the government on X that the SADC summit in Harare will focus on the situation in eastern DRC. He explained that there have been significant challenges in the region, including widespread violence and conflict, which prompted an earlier summit hosted by Mnangagwa to extend the SAMIDRC mission.
Murwira emphasized that the upcoming summit will bring together SADC heads of state and government to deliberate and decide on peace efforts for the region. He stated that preparations for the summit are in full swing, as Zimbabwe takes the lead in addressing instability in the DRC.
Murwira also highlighted that any instability in the region undermines the broader economic development goals of SADC. The summit, scheduled for Friday, January 31, 2025, will see participation from leaders of all 16 SADC member countries.
The recent conflict in the DRC has seen significant casualties. South Africa lost 13 soldiers in combat with the M23 rebels, and the United Nations reported the deaths of three Malawian soldiers and a Uruguayan peacekeeper who were part of peacekeeping efforts in the region. Rwanda has consistently denied accusations of supporting the M23 rebels, despite widespread reports linking the country to the group.
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