By Frank Kamuntu
Leaders from the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are meeting in Dar es Salaam this weekend for a high-stakes joint summit aimed at addressing the worsening security crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his Congolese counterpart, Félix Tshisekedi, are expected to attend, in what could be their first face-to-face encounter since a planned peace agreement in Angola was cancelled in December. The failure of those talks deepened hostilities, with both sides blaming each other.
Tshisekedi did not take part in an EAC virtual summit called by its Chairman President William Ruto last week.
The urgency of the joint summit follows a surge in violence in eastern DRC, where M23 rebels last week seized Goma, the largest city in the region, before capturing Nyabibwe, a key mining town in South Kivu province, on Wednesday. Their advance towards Bukavu, the provincial capital, has heightened fears of further escalation despite a ceasefire declaration on Tuesday.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud are also expected to attend.
Diverging Approaches
While both EAC and SADC are involved in peace efforts, their approaches differ. The EAC has advocated for direct negotiations between Kinshasa and the M23, a position Tshisekedi has rejected. Instead, he turned to SADC, which replaced the EAC peacekeeping force in the DRC and has aligned with Kinshasa’s demand for Rwanda’s withdrawal from Congolese territory.
For Kigali, the presence of the SADC mission is a major point of contention. Rwanda views the force as “offensive” and is calling for its withdrawal, along with that of Burundian troops stationed in the DRC.
“We should not have too high expectations,” warned Onesphore Sematumba, an analyst quoted by RFI. He noted that merely bringing all parties to the table would already be “a diplomatic success.”
Rising Humanitarian Concerns
The continued fighting has sparked panic in several towns, including Bukavu, where the Catholic university suspended classes scheduled for Friday. A source close to the Congolese presidency said Kinshasa expects the summit to deliver an immediate ceasefire, Rwanda’s unconditional withdrawal, and the reopening of Goma airport for humanitarian aid.
Tshisekedi’s spokesperson, Tina Salama, reinforced this stance, calling for “severe sanctions against Rwanda.”
With tensions at a breaking point, the outcome of the Dar es Salaam summit could determine whether the region edges closer to peace or further into instability.
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