Emergency summit on DRC underway in Dar es Salaam

Leaders from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC) are convening in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, for a joint emergency summit to address the rapidly worsening conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The conflict, which has escalated in recent weeks, has caused mounting casualties on both sides and triggered a dire humanitarian crisis, despite repeated calls for a ceasefire. The renewed war involves the DRC government, United Nations peacekeepers, SADC troops, the Burundian military, and the Hutu rebel movement FDLR, who are engaged in hostilities with the Tutsi rebel group M23 and its backer, Rwanda.

In preparation for the summit of heads of state and government set to take place today, a Council of Ministers meeting was held yesterday to discuss the ongoing crisis and the way forward. The meeting was co-chaired by Zimbabwean Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Amon Murwira, who also serves as the chairperson of the SADC Council of Ministers, and Musaila Mudavadi, Kenya's Prime Cabinet Secretary and Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, who led the EAC delegation.

The summit aims to address the growing conflict, coordinate efforts for peace, and devise effective strategies to mitigate the devastating impact of the violence on both the civilian population and regional stability. The leaders are expected to discuss ways to enhance diplomatic and military interventions to restore peace and order in the DRC and explore possible mechanisms to address the underlying causes of the conflict.

As the situation continues to deteriorate, the international community is watching closely, with hopes that the summit will lead to meaningful progress toward peace in the region.