President William Ruto with his Zimbabwe counterpart Emmerson Mnangagwa in Namibia on March 21, 2025/PCSLeaders from the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are set to hold another meeting next week to address the escalating conflict in the eastern DRC.
The decision follows discussions in Windhoek, Namibia, between President William Ruto and his Zimbabwean counterpart Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Ruto is the current chairperson of the EAC bloc while Mnangagwa chairs SADC.
The meeting between the leaders happened on the sidelines of the inauguration of Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, the country's first female president.
It was a double celebration as the country was also marking the 35th independence anniversary.
According to a statement, Ruto said they reaffirmed their commitment to implementing resolutions from last month’s joint summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, aimed at restoring stability in the DRC.
"Our primary focus is to address the crisis and deliver lasting peace," he said.
In addition to the DRC crisis, the leaders agreed to strengthen regional integration and enhance trade under the Tripartite Free Trade Agreement, which brings together EAC, SADC, and COMESA.
They also pledged to advance the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement to boost intra-African trade.
The planned virtual meeting comes even as the M23 rebels continues to advance.
On Wednesday, the rebels are said to have captured the town of Walikale.
This is in spite of the growing international calls for a ceasefire.
The rebels entered the mining hub in North Kivu province, a day after DRC President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame called for an immediate ceasefire after meeting in Qatar’s capital Doha.
Nestor Mavudisa, a spokesperson for the Congolese army (FARDC), confirmed on Thursday that “the enemy” now controlled Walikale, located about 400km (250 miles) from Kisangani, the country’s fourth-largest city.
The first EAC-SADC joint summit was held on February 8 this year in Tanzania. A number of resolutions were arrived at.
