Fresh push by EAC and SADC to resolve conflict in Congo

President William Ruto and his counterpart Zimbabwe President Emerson Mnangagwa will on Saturday co-chair a meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania aimed at resolving conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

This coming after President Ruto Friday co-chaired a joint summit of East Africa Community (EAC) –Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) meeting on the eastern Congo amidst a war of words among the presidents of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, Rwanda’s Paul Kagame, and the DRC leader Felix Tshisekedi.

Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan had accepted the mandate of hosting the meeting. Kagame and Tshisekedi who are at odds, according to President Ruto, have also confirmed their attendance.

The summit, which aims to find lasting solutions to the ongoing conflict in eastern Congo, will also be attended by President Ramaphosa, Uganda President Yoweri Museveni, and Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

Congolese officials had initially refused to meet with Rwandan President Kagame at a meeting called by President Ruto as the EAC chair citing allegations of the latter’s country’s support for M23 rebels. It is expected that the Saturday meeting in Dar es Salaam will sort out issues causing conflict between the two countries.

The congress comes at a time when the situation in eastern Congo also worsens, with intensified fighting between M23 rebels and the Congolese army, forcing thousands of residents to flee and raising concerns about regional security and humanitarian aid.

The war has led to significant casualties and displacement, with the UN reporting at least 700 deaths and 2,800 injuries over six days. Additionally, at least 20 peacekeepers have been killed, including 14 from South Africa.

The war of words between the two embattled heads of state has been rising, with Tshisekedi accusing the latter of backing M23 rebels, who took over the city of Goma on Monday. Kagame, on the other hand, has accused Tshisekedi of failing to offer leadership and waging war against his people, the Congolese Tutsis.

Addressing diplomats in Kigali on January 16, the Rwandese leader went full throttle on his Congolese counterpart labeling him an idiot.

“If you are a leader and an idiot, it’s an absolute disaster. It is even worse, even more dangerous, if the very people who hold the power in their hands decide that they will be manipulated and played around for some interest by idiots.” President Kagame said.

He went on to claim that President Tshisekedi is responsible for the insecurity in the eastern DRC and that he was not elected to office but rigged himself to the office.