East and Southern African leaders have agreed to merge regional and African Union (AU) peace structures to accelerate efforts in addressing the worsening security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The resolution came during the Joint EAC-SADC Summit with the Panel of Facilitators for the DRC Peace Process, held in Nairobi on Friday.
The high-level meeting, co-chaired by Kenya’s President and East African Community (EAC) Chairperson, Dr. William Samoei Ruto, and Zimbabwe’s President and Southern African Development Community (SADC) Chairperson, Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, brought together former African heads of state appointed as peace facilitators.
Among the distinguished facilitators in attendance were Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria), Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Catherine Samba-Panza (Central African Republic), Sahle-Work Zewde (Ethiopia), and Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi (Botswana).
Also present were senior African diplomats including Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission; Dr. Musalia Mudavadi, Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary and Minister for Foreign Affairs; Prof. Amon Murwira, Zimbabwe’s Foreign Minister; Veronica M. Nduva, EAC Secretary General; and Elias Mpedi Magosi, SADC Executive Secretary.
Key Resolutions Adopted
The leaders endorsed several measures to streamline and strengthen the peace initiative:
- Immediate merger of EAC-SADC and AU peace structures into a single framework reporting to the Joint Summit and the AU.
- Creation of a joint secretariat in Addis Ababa, under AU leadership, to operationalize the merged structure.
- Consolidation of Terms of Reference for the AU Mediator and EAC-SADC Panel of Facilitators.
- Centralized resource mobilization, including humanitarian aid, coordinated by the AU.
- Alignment of all regional and international initiatives to an African-led peace process.
- Virtual extraordinary summit to be convened within seven days to communicate outcomes.
- Communication of resolutions to all African Union member states.
The summit also endorsed critical documents to guide the facilitation process, including a Framework for the Merger of the Nairobi and Luanda Peace Processes, Terms of Reference for the Five-Member Panel, and a Process Design for Inclusive Mediation in Eastern DRC.
Call for Unified Action
The meeting reaffirmed earlier commitments from the February and March 2025 joint summits, the 1261st AU Peace and Security Council meeting, and UN Security Council Resolution 2773 (2025). Leaders stressed the urgency of a unified, African-led approach to curb violence and stabilize eastern DRC.
President Ruto was commended for successfully hosting the summit, with gratitude extended to EAC, SADC, and AU secretariats for their preparatory work.
The joint communiqué concluded with a clear message: only coordinated African action can address the protracted instability in eastern DRC and pave the way for lasting peace.
