In a concerted effort to address the deepening security crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), leaders from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC) will convene a virtual joint summit on March 24, 2025.
The announcement, made via the SADC Secretariat’s official X on Sunday, March 23, 2025, highlights the growing urgency among regional powers to stabilize the volatile situation.
The joint summit, the second of its kind, will bring together heads of state and government from both regional organizations to discuss strategies for stabilizing the volatile situation in the eastern DRC, where armed conflict has persisted for years.
The summit will be co-chaired by President William Samoei Ruto, who currently chairs the EAC, and Zimbabwean President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, the chairperson of SADC.
SADC’s delegation will consist of its member states: Zimbabwe (the current chair), Angola (the former chair), and Madagascar (the incoming chair).
Additionally, the three countries leading the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security Affairs—Tanzania (the current chair), Malawi (the incoming chair), and Zambia (the former chair)—will participate.
South Africa, a troop-contributing country to the SADC Mission in the DRC, and the DRC itself will also be represented.
“Representing SADC will be its “Double Troika” Member States: the Republic of Zimbabwe (Chair), the Republic of Angola (former Chair), and the Republic of Madagascar (incoming Chair); along with the three countries leading the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security Affairs: the United Republic of Tanzania (Chair), the Republic of Malawi (incoming Chair), and the Republic of Zambia (former Chair). Additional participants include the Republic of South Africa (Troop Contributing Country to the SADC Mission in the DRC) and the Democratic Republic of Congo,” a statement by the SADC Secretariat said.
The summit follows a joint EAC-SADC Ministerial Meeting held on March 17, 2025, in Harare, Zimbabwe, during which a report on the DRC situation was prepared for the heads of state.
The virtual summit will focus on deliberating the findings and recommendations of this report.
EAC-SADC leaders met in person on February 8, 2025, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to discuss the situation in Congo.
However, DRC president Felix Tshisekedi failed to attend the Dar meeting in person, choosing to follow via video link instead.
Tshisekedi had been avoiding meeting his rival Rwanda’s Paul Kagame in person until recently when they met in Doha, Qatar on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.
Kagame and Tshisekedi’s in-person meeting was the first one of its kind since the Congo conflict erupted.
DRC accuses Rwanda of supporting M23 rebels who have seized vast swaths of land in the country’s eastern parts and have even threatened to march to the capital Kinshasa.
The talks in Qatar took place after M23 representatives pulled out of a planned meeting with DRC officials in Angola on Tuesday after the European Union imposed sanctions on some of the group’s senior members.
The EU also sanctioned three Rwandan military commanders and the country’s mining agency chief, citing support for M23.
The ongoing conflict in the eastern DRC has resulted in widespread displacement, human rights abuses, and regional instability, prompting increased efforts from regional organizations to find a lasting solution.
The joint summit underscores the urgency with which SADC and EAC leaders are approaching the crisis, aiming to coordinate their efforts and enhance regional cooperation in addressing the complex security challenges facing the DRC.
Martin Oduor
The alchemist of literary works – a master wordsmith with a proven record of transforming the raw materials of language into a rich tapestry of emotion, thought, and imagination.
