President William Ruto on Tuesday chaired the inaugural meeting of the newly appointed facilitators for the Nairobi-Luanda peace process, aimed at addressing the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC.
The virtual session brought together four former heads of state from the East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional blocs.
They include Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria), Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Sahle-Work Zewde (Ethiopia) and Catherine Samba-Panza (Central African Republic) whose appointment was made at a joint virtual summit held on March 24.
Ruto is said to have briefed the leaders on their mandate and the expectations as they embark on the mission.
Their mandate was outlined during the last session, setting the stage for their involvement in advancing the peace initiative.
The March 24 meeting was co-chaired by President Ruto in his capacity as the EAC heads chairperson and Zimbabwe's Emmerson Mnangagwa (SADC).
This meeting was a follow-up to the February 8, 2025, joint session in Dar es Salaam.
The joint summit is also said to have adopted the outcomes of the March 17, 2025, joint EAC-SADC ministerial meeting in Harare, which included reports from the Chiefs of Defence and a roadmap outlining key implementation measures to achieve sustainable peace and security in the eastern DRC.
Leaders at the summit emphasised the urgent implementation of these recommendations, tasking relevant parties with ensuring swift action.
The briefing session for the facilitators was mandated to be conducted jointly by SADC, EAC, and the African Union.
President Ruto said leaders from the two regional blocs were committed to addressing the escalating conflict that has caused loss of lives, displacement of thousands and a devastating humanitarian crisis.
He noted that the situation poses a great danger not just to the DRC but to the stability of the entire region.
He warned that the conflict had the potential to spill over into neighbouring countries and destabilise the EAC and SADC regions.
President Ruto commended Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Felix Tshisekedi of DRC for their commitment to resolving the conflict, citing a face-to-face meeting last week.
“This is a clear demonstration on their part that they are equally committed to resolving the conflict in Eastern DRC,” he said.
Heads of State and Government who participated in the joint summit were Presidents Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi), Samia Suluhu Hassan (Tanzania), Cyril Ramaphosa (South Africa), Andry Rajoelina (Madagascar), Hakainde Hichilema (Zambia), Tshisekedi (DRC), Kagame (Rwanda), Évariste Ndayishimiye (Burundi), and Yoweri Museveni (Uganda).
Somalia Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, Téte António, Minister of External Relations of Angola and the Minister of East African Community Affairs of South Sudan Deng Alor Kuol were also present.
