Uhuru, Obasanjo and Desalegn appointed DRC peace facilitators

Former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo will be the joint East African Community (EAC)-Southern African Development Community (SADC) peace process facilitators for the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The three were appointed following decisions at the high-level joint summit held earlier this month in Dar es Salaam and chaired by SADC chairperson Emerson Mnangagwa and EAC chairperson William Ruto.

Their appointment signifies a shift towards a more unified and coordinated approach, merging the separate Luanda and Nairobi peace tracks into a single process.

The move is expected to enhance diplomatic efforts, ensuring a more effective response to the ongoing crisis.

The merger of the two peace processes (Luanda and Nairobi processes) underscores a growing recognition that regional cooperation is essential in addressing the crisis in eastern DRC.

With Kenyatta, Desalegn, and Obasanjo at the helm, stakeholders hope for a more structured and effective approach to peacebuilding in the conflict-torn region.

The Dar es Salaam summit was aimed at strengthening regional efforts to restore stability in eastern DRC, which has been plagued by persistent armed conflicts.

Following the summit, preparatory meetings were held in Nairobi last week, where EAC Chiefs of Defence Forces (CDFs) discussed strategic directives for peace enforcement.

The SADC military leaders convened separately in Dar es Salaam to assess security concerns in the region.

These meetings set the stage for a joint gathering of EAC and SADC military chiefs that happened yesterday and will be followed by a Joint Ministerial Meeting on Friday to review progress and agree on further security measures.

The Dar es Salaam summit also highlighted Key priorities including securing Goma and its surrounding areas, facilitating humanitarian aid, reopening critical supply routes, and enforcing an immediate ceasefire.

Armed groups, including M23, have since been urged to adhere to the ceasefire agreements set out in the EAC-SADC framework.

“All actors are urged to observe the ceasefire announced by the EAC-SADC Summit, and the M23 and all other actors are called upon to cease any further advancements in eastern DRC and to observe and abide by an immediate ceasefire,” they said in the statement.

Launched in 2022 April, the Nairobi process led by former president Uhuru Kenyatta was intended to end the hostilities in the eastern part of DRC by holding talks between the Congolese government and the M23 rebels.

The process however collapsed after making significant strides towards ceasefire and commitments towards disarmament as violence escalated and regional tension deepened.

The talks then stalled due to political interference and Military withdrawals with stakeholders lacking commitment.

By Mid-2023, the focus had shifted towards their general elections and hence the sidelining of the Nairobi process.

The withdrawals of the Kenyan troops also weakened security efforts creating a vacuum for the armed rebels.

Despite calls by the former Kenyan President and International mediators, the Congolese government did not re-engage the negotiators diminishing hope for a diplomatic resolution.

The Luanda process which was also initiated in 2022 was aimed at diffusing the tensions between Rwanda and DRC, particularly addressing the insurgency of the M23 rebel group in eastern DRC.

The Luanda process was being mediated by Angolan President João Lourenço under the African Union’s auspices, the initiative sought to foster dialogue and implement ceasefires to stabilize the conflict-ridden region.

The process has faced setbacks with a crucial summit scheduled for December last year abruptly canceled after negotiations reached an impasse.

The primary sticking point was Rwanda’s insistence that the DRC engage in direct talks with the M23 rebels, a condition Kinshasa firmly rejected, labeling the group as terrorists.

The peace talks are set to resume as the human toll in the conflict continues to rise with UN  reports indicating that since the start of 2025, over 7,000 people have been killed due to the conflict.

Approximately 450,000 people have been displaced with nearly 90 displacement camps destroyed.

There have also been alarming reports of human rights abuses, including summary executions, sexual violence, and the recruitment of child soldiers.