Two African regional groups, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC), have announced plans to convene a joint summit on the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (D.R.C.), which threatens the security of the entire region and has created a humanitarian crisis.
The anti-government M23 militia, in the past week, had captured the eastern Congo city of Goma, and along with a coalition of opposition parties called the Congo River Alliance, have declared their intention to march on to Kinshasa, the D.R.C. capital.
The M23 is widely seen as being backed by Rwanda with arms and even some 2,000-4,000 troops. In fact the G7, in a statement Feb. 3, called the invasion “Rwanda-backed”: “We, the G7 Foreign Ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the High Representative of the European Union, strongly condemn the Rwanda-backed M23 offensive in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo…. We urge M23 and the Rwanda Defense Force to cease their offensive in all directions. We call for the urgent protection of civilians. We also call for an end to all direct and indirect support to the M23 and all non-state armed groups in the D.R.C.”
While the SADC and EAC member states of South Africa, Burundi, Tanzania and Zimbabwe have peacekeeping forces inside the D.R.C., the member states of these two blocs want a dialogue and negotiated solution to the crisis, which has in fact festered since the 1990s. The SADC and EAC recommendations echo the long-standing call of the African Union for a political solution through dialogue within the framework of the African Union-led Luanda and Nairobi processes, according to the chairperson.
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who chairs the SADC, emphasized the need for a ceasefire and diplomatic engagement, and stated that SADC will work with all parties involved. The EAC had also proposed the joint summit. Mnangagwa also stressed the need for a concrete plan for peace, and pledged support for SADC forces, reiterating that regional security is a shared responsibility. The call for a summit was endorsed by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat.