SADC condemns the violence in the DRC, calls for peace

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) leaders have condemned the violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and called for peace. This emerged during the Extraordinary Summit held by the Heads of State and Government in Harare, Zimbabwe, following recently clashes in the eastern DRC, where peacekeepers where killed thousands of civilians displaced. The chaos come after the M23 rebels seized the eastern city of Goma, nearby areas and threatened to march to the capital city, Kinshasa. The summit was convened by Zimbabwean President and Chairperson of SADC, Emmerson Mnangagwa. “The summit expressed concern that the recent attacks continued to worsen the security and humanitarian situation in the DRC and called for the immediate restoration of essential utilities such as water, electricity, means of communication and supply lines for food and other essential commodities.The summit condemned in the strongest terms the attacks on the Southern African Development Community Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC) troops by the M23 operating in the eastern DRC.Such actions violated the ceasefire that was brokered through the Luanda Process on 30 July 2024 and undermined peace and security of the DRC and the SADC region,” read a joint communique from the summit. The summit also reinforced the region’s steadfast support for the DRC’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. It also agreed to send emissaries to North Kivu, DRC, to assess the situation and ensure safe repatriation of troops from South Africa, Tanzania, and Malawi. “The summit called for the immediate dispatch of ministers of defence, chiefs of defence and troop contributing countries to the DRC to ensure that the SAMIDRC troops are safe and facilitate the immediate repatriation of the deceased troops and those who are injured,” added the communique. Moreover, SADC leaders agreed to a joint summit with their East African Community, to end the crisis in the eastern DRC.