A joint summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East Africa Community (EAC) will be held on Friday and Saturday over the crisis in DRC.
The summit, to be held in in Dar es Salaam, Tanzani, will seek solutions to the conflict in the eastern DRC.
It follows an agreement between the chairman of SADC, President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, and EAC Chairperson President William Ruto of Kenya.
“President Samia Suluhu Hassan has graciously agreed to host the summit to deliberate on the situation in Eastern DRC," Ruto said.
He said President Felix Tshisekedi of the DRC and President Paul Kagame of Rwanda have confirmed attendance at the summit that will be preceded by a ministerial meeting on Friday before the Heads of State convene on Saturday.
Ruto confirmed that he has engaged President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia, who have confirmed participation at the extra-ordinary summit.
Ruto said peace and security are critical ingredients for trade and investment in our region.
“I am glad the leadership of the Southern African Development Community and the East Africa Community has agreed to jointly caucus on the conflict in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo,” he stated.
United Nations agencies on Friday called for an end to the violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as fighting between Government forces and the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group expands.
The rebels have already seized the provincial capital, Goma, and reports indicate that they are closing in on the key city of Bukavu, capital of South Kivu province.
The hostilities are occurring in a mineral-rich region that has been volatile for decades amid a proliferation of armed groups, which has forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes over the years and seek safety in displacement camps.
UN humanitarians warn that the situation continue to worsen for civilians likely trapped by days of intense fighting in and around Goma, which has a population of over one million.
